


Flowers on her skin

by Marianita195



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-08 08:52:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 39,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4298448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marianita195/pseuds/Marianita195
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Klaroline AH. When a new flower shop opens next to his tattoo shop, the last thing Klaus expected was to develope a massive crush on the blonde owner. She is as beautiful as the flowers she sells, maybe even more. With Caroline by his side, Klaus will learn that even a tragic past can blossom into something wonderful (based on a drabble written by Angelikah, who let me wrote this).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello there! I'm soooo happy that I started a new story, I've been wanting to do since last year but I had no inspiration for it.
> 
> Firstly I wanna start by saying that this story is based on a prompt and I'm not the first one to use it. The lovely Angelikah, who writes "Their Thing(s)" wrote a small drabble based on this prompt. I fell in love the moment I read it and I asked her if I could use it to make a multi chapter fanfic. She was so kind and sweet to let me do it, I can't thank her enough.
> 
> Still, I'll try to keep things original and creative. But you know how I roll, right? I take suggestions in the reviews (I love reviews, the more I get the more I write!) So don't be shy and tell me your expectations about this story, and who knows, I might make them come true!
> 
> Enjoy!

Has anyone ever pointed a flashlight to your eyes? Or maybe snapped a picture with flash, leaving you temporarily blind? And not just blind, but confused too, leaving you unable to focus and speak… Then you know what Klaus felt the first time he saw her. And that is saying a lot, because Klaus Mikaelson wasn't some awkward kid that couldn't form coherent words while being around women. Not since college, at least.

But he didn't like thinking about that. No, he didn't wanna think how his palms would get sweaty and his mouth would refuse to speak out the words formed –and rehearsed- in his mind. Those days were far behind. Because everything changed after turning 20, when his small and awkward body grew, making him thin but fit, when he changed his glasses with thick frames for contacts and when his facial hair stopped being a dick and grew out evenly.

And now at the age of 26, running his own business and having a think British accent, he did pretty well with the ladies. So why was he blinded when he saw her? Probably because she was a ray of sunshine sent by the heavens above to make him feel thunderstruck, standing there with his mouth half open and looking like an idiot. Luckily, she hadn't spotted him just yet. She was too busy looking to some papers she held in front of her in a folder.

It was like her porcelain skin and blonde hair made her glow. Her hair was up in a high pony tail, but a few locks falling down framed her face perfectly and the sunlight bouncing on it gave her some sort of halo. She wore a flowery dress that framed her tiny waist and long legs. Suddenly a frown appeared in her face and Klaus saw the tip of her tongue sticking out her mouth as she furiously wrote something down.

"You wanted this be above the door, right miss?" One of the men asked as he held a sign that said "Caroline's Flower Shop" along with another man. It had flowers and lady bugs painted all over the letters. It was only then when Klaus realized what was going on. How could he not see the big truck parked in front of them and the men carrying in boxes? A new business would open soon and this beautiful angel would be his new neighbor.

"No, I want that one inside behind the counter. The one that goes on the front is the big one. I think it's inside." She replied. Klaus wanted to groan, even her voice was beautiful.

"Alright Care, the coolers are all set, all you gotta do is turn them on a day before the flowers arrive." A blond man said while stepping out store.

"She must be Caroline, then", Klaus thought.

"Thanks Matt! I already called them, they'll arrive next Monday at 6."

Klaus had been staring at her for two full minutes –it felt a lot longer- as he stood outside his tattoo shop, key in hand. Stefan was already inside, having arrived earlier to finish a design, and was watching his friend through the glass on the door, waiting for him to finally step inside. By the look on Klaus' face, Stefan could only guess he was having a stroke, and decided to see if he was okay.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked as he opened the door. It made Klaus jump a little on his spot, but he didn't reply. Stefan followed his eyes and saw they girl. "Oh yeah, didn't you hear? Someone finally rented the place beside us." Stefan said while leaning on the door frame.

Right then Care, or Caroline, turned to her side and spotted the two men talking about her.

"Hi!" She said waiving her hand.

Still, no words came from Klaus. Funny how his mouth wouldn't work, when there were a thousand words running through his mind each second, like "What the fuck is going on?"

"So you are our new neighbor." Stefan said with a friendly smile. She nodded and started walking towards them.

"Yeah, I'm sorry if we're making too much noise, you know how moving in is like, right?"

Stefan shrugged and nodded.

"Don't worry about it. We were wondering who would rent the place next to ours. No need to say we're relieved to see it's a flower shop and not another tattoo shop." He joked. No one would be stupid enough to open a tattoo shop right next to "Mikaelson's White Whale Tattoos" –they had a funny name, but they were serious about tattoos-. They were the best in the business.

Caroline giggled at Stefan's joke, but Klaus looked embarrassed.

"I'm Caroline." She said, finally clearing Klaus' doubts.

"I'm Stefan, and this is my friend and partner Klaus."

Right then something seemed to snap in Klaus' head, bringing him back to reality.

"Funny, mate. That's my name on the door." He said, back to his witty self. Stefan gasped and placed a hand on his chest like he was offended.

"Rude!"

Klaus smirked and turned back to Caroline. God, she was even prettier now that he could see her up close.

"When will your shop be open for business?"

"Next week. You two should stop by, if you want of course." Caroline replied. Klaus barely managed to stop himself from jumping. He would be seeing her again, that was for sure.

"You heard that Stefan? Don't screw things up with Rebekah for at least one more week." He joked and Stefan sighed heavily.

"Any chance I'll get a discount for being a regular costumer?" Stefan asked Caroline half joking, which made her laugh.

Angels must be singing….

"Only if you're a wedding planner." She joked back.

"Care!" The blond man –Matt- called from the flower shop and Caroline turned to him. "You better come here, they're about to hang the sign inside and I refuse to hear you complain later about how it's crocked, even if it's not." Caroline turned back to the guys.

"I'm not that bad, I swear… I better go, it was nice meeting you." She said with a little wave of her hand before rushing back to her store.

Once inside the tattoo shop Klaus walked towards his station and Stefan followed him, stopping to lean on a couch.

"You like her." He said simply. Klaus rolled his eyes.

"We barely talked, what makes you say that."

"Oh it's not what you talked about. I've only seen that look on your face once, and it was when you saw this place was up for rent." Stefan replied, meaning the shop that Klaus now owned. This shop had been his first and only love so far.

"You're being an idiot." Klaus mumbled while opening a folder with some of his designs. He had work to do and couldn't keep wasting time with Stefan, or thinking about certain blond.

"Whatever you say. Let me just remind you, you're a tattoo artist. Your hands can't keep shaking like that." Stefan said before walking away to his station.

Only then Klaus realized his hands were in fact shaking.

He was screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

Klaus feared the day that the flower shop would open for business, because it meant that Caroline would be inside the shop all day, instead of walking in and out as she got the place ready, giving Klaus many chances to look at her through his window. Yes, he felt like a creep for watching her like that, but it wasn't his fault! She was a vision. With her hair sometimes up and other times down in waves… with her flowery dresses, sometimes with high heels, other times with flats. It didn't matter. Klaus knew she could wear a garbage bag and still look wonderful.

But the day had come and the shop was about to open. Caroline had the idea of leaving a board outside where she could write something different every day. For now she would just write "Big Opening Day!" and draw a few flowers, leaving the inspirational quotes for the next day. And of course Klaus couldn't help but watch. He thanked God that he wasn't with any costumers at the time. He couldn't get distracted like this while inking someone permanently.

"You're staring again…" Stefan said from his station without even looking up. Klaus only managed to mumble something incoherent.

"Staring at what?" Kol asked from behind the counter. He worked part time at the tattoo shop by taking care of the appointments and telling the costumers how to take care of the tattoos. It gave him something to do while studying to get his master in communications. Besides, he couldn't pass a chance to bond with his brother –and by bond, I mean annoy-.

"Caroline." Stefan replied. At the sight of confusion in Kol's face, he continued. "The blonde next door. You know, the one from the flower shop."

Kol smirked.

"Ooooh so that tasty little thing has a name…" He said, which earned him one of Klaus' angriest looks. Stefan looked from one brother to the other and sighed.

"Don't call her that, she seems like a nice girl. And by the way Klaus looks at her. I'd say he likes her."

"I don't like her. " Klaus mumbled. "I just… I'm not happy with a flower shop opening right beside us. It can't be good for business." He said turning back to the window right before he could see Stefan rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Whatever. We're stopping by the flower store later. We're gonna be good neighbors and wish her luck."

The door opened and the little bell on it ran. A tall, leggie redhead stepped in and walked to the counter. Kol had switched his charms on before anyone could say "idiot".

"Hello, I have an appointment. The name is Genevieve Dubois." She said and Kol checked her name off the list.

"Of course, Nik will be taking care of you." He said pointing at his brother. Genevieve turned to him and let's just say she wasn't subtle at all when she checked him out. She looked up at him up and down and Klaus saw her lower lip getting caught between her teeth.

"It's nice to meet you Nik." She practically purred.

"It's Klaus, actually." He corrected her, throwing an angry glare at his brother. "Follow me this way…" He said while leading her to his station. When he turned his head over his shoulder he saw Kol giving him two thumbs up. Klaus rolled his eyes.

To be honest, he couldn't blame his brother. Genevieve was a very beautiful woman and Klaus wasn't a shy man, this wasn't the first time a costumer checked him out, and in the past he had flirted back.

Usually whatever started on his work station could only end as a good fuck. How could a relationship between a punk girl with daddy issues –the reason why most of them got the tattoo in the first place- and a man that worked even during the weekends –many times writing cliché quotes on a side boob- work? He dated Tatia during college, but that had been a fiasco.

So no, no one really caught his attention so far. But hey! A man has his needs, right? So when a pretty redhead flirts with you, you flirt back…

So why couldn't he? Maybe she was being too obvious with the longing glances and her hand touching his arm as he got ready the design for her tattoo –hello! He needs that arm and you're making him move!-. Being so desperate is a turn off.

And her tattoo was some weird ass symbol that looked like it came out of the Lesser Key of Solomon–and he had seen his fair share of weirdness. What people were willing to put on their skin permanently made him question humanity-. Add the bracelets and rings with more symbols and you get an idea of what kind of stuff she's into. Now he was even less interested. There are places he wouldn't put his dick in, and some crazy dark magic witch is one of them.

Two hours later and he was done. He saw her shudder, maybe more than naturally, when he applied the cream on her skin. Then he patched her up and sent her on her way. She left a generous tip along with her phone number.

"Someone might be getting some soon…" Kol commented as Klaus put the money in his wallet.

"Nah." Stefan said from his chair. "That was too easy." Klaus couldn't help but smirk. His friend knew him so well.

"What's wrong with easy?" Kol asked arching an eyebrow.

"Unlike you, some men aren't desperate for women's attention." Klaus replied. "We're allowed to be a little picky."

Kol glared at his brother and was about to give his comeback when suddenly the door opened and the bell rang again.

And just like that, the room got a thousand times brighter. Caroline stepped in, her dress waving from one side to another as she closed the door.

"Hey!" She said cheerfully.

"Caroline!" Stefan greeted. "How's the big opening going?"

"It's going great, thank you!" She said with a wide smile. Klaus smiled back.

"That's good. Caroline, this is my brother Kol." He introduced them and Caroline stepped closer to the counter to shake hands with the boy. She stood just a few feet from Klaus and suddenly the room felt a lot hotter to him.

"Nice to meet you." She said while offering him her hand to shake.

"The pleasure is all mine." Kol replied. Klaus barely managed to stop himself from groaning when Kol kissed Caroline's hand.

At the slightly disturbed look on the girl's face, Klaus couldn't help but joke.

"Forgive him, love. Mother dropped him many times when he was a baby."

Her laugh echoed in the room, making Klaus smile proudly.

"You're just jealous because you're not as charming as I am, Nik!" Kol snapped at Klaus. Stefan snorted.

"Rebekah has better luck with girls than you and she's not even into them." Kol looked like steam was about to come out his ears.

"Nik?" Caroline mumbled confused.

"Short for Niklaus. I prefer to be called Klaus." He explained with a shrug. "So what brings you by?"

Caroline's eyes opened comically.

"Oh, right! I was wondering you had a hammer I could borrow." She said with her best smile.

Stefan jumped from his seat before Kol could make sexual innuendo out of that and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah we do, it's probably somewhere in the back. Come on Kol, help me find it." He said while dragging Kol.

"Why do you need my help? It can't be too hard to find…"

"Because I say so." Stefan said before disappearing behind a door.

Klaus realized then he was alone with Caroline. She seemed okay, busying herself by looking at some designs that laid on the counter as display.

"Did you draw all of these?" She asked curiously.

"Most of them, yes."

"Woooow that's amazing. I wish I could draw like that!" Caroline said. Klaus smiled and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Were his palms sweating?!

"Oh I don't know love, I've seen those ladybugs you drew on the board." He commented and Caroline laughed again. If Klaus' smile got any bigger, it would break his face in half.

"They're just red dots with smaller black dots inside!" She shook her head, her hair waiving freely. "But I like them, they're supposed to bring good luck."

"And has this been a first day filled with good luck?"

"I guess so. Although I just left Matt alone at the store, and good luck with him doesn't last long." She commented with a giggle. Klaus frowned and tilted his head.

"Matt?"

"Yeah, he's my friend and he will be also doing the deliveries. You've seen him." Caroline replied.

"Right." Klaus mumbled relieved. Relieved of what? He didn't know. Seriously though, how long could it take to find the goddamn hammer? Caroline went back to look at the designs and Klaus couldn't help but take step closer to her, facing her left side.

 _She smells like vanilla and flowers._  He thought. It was intoxicating.

"Do you like tattoos?" He asked curiously. She pursed her lips adorably as she thought about it.

"I guess I do. But I'm not sure I would get one…"

"Why not?" Klaus asked.

"I've had my fair share of needles in my life." Caroline mumbled. Something on her face changed, but Klaus couldn't place his finger on what exactly, seeing only half of her face. It took him a moment to realize she looked sad.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a frown. Caroline quickly straightened and turned to face him.

"Oh nothing. It's nothing." She said, her hands moving to her sides as she hugged herself.

_Weird…_

"But lets just say for a moment that I wanna get a tattoo. What do you think I should get? I wouldn't want to get something incredibly cliché."

Klaus was a little surprised by the change of topic, but let it slide.

"In that case you should pick something that has a personal meaning to you. So even if other people have it or becomes some trend, it wouldn't be cliché, not to you." He replied.

Caroline pursed her lips once again and hummed.

"I always thought flowers looked pretty… I know I know, I already see enough flowers every day, but they mean something to me."

Klaus smiled.

"There you go! That's your answer."

Caroline smiled back widely and Klaus felt a tug in his chest that left him breathless.

"You didn't have to hit me so hard!" Both Klaus and Caroline turned to the voice, finding Kol walking into the room, his hand rubbing his side. "Specially with a hammer!" He added.

"Well, it's your own fault for being an ass." Stefan said as he followed him. "Besides, I didn't hit you THAT hard." He walked to Caroline and handed her the tool. "There you go. I'm sorry we kept you waiting. We have a mess back there." Caroline smiled and took it.

"It's fine. I'll bring it back as soon as I can. We still have a lot of things to fix at the store." Stefan waved his hand and shrugged.

"Take your time."

Caroline smiled and started walking towards the door.

"Thank you! It was nice seeing you again. And nice meeting you Kol." She said before walking out.

Klaus turned to Stefan and tilted his head.

"We keep the hammer on a shelf, what took you so long?" He asked confused, but his friend didn't reply. He just smirked and winked.

.

Later that day Klaus got ready to leave the store. He always left early on Mondays and Stefan and Kol knew very well why.

When he stepped out of his tattoo shop, he found Caroline fixing some flowers on a vase outside her store.

"You're leaving early." She commented.

"Yeah, Mondays are special. I have plans." He said nonchalantly. Caroline smiled and handed him one of the flowers.

"Take one." She said, and he took it carefully, trying hard –and failing- not to read too much into the electricity he felt when his fingers touched hers. "These are some flowers that got a little bit ruined in the trunk on their way here, so I'm not selling them. But I think they're still beautiful, so since it's my first day I'm giving them away." She explained after seeing the confused look on Klaus' face.

That's when he saw the little sign beside them. It said "Take a flower with you. You might bright someone's day!" There was also a stack of cards with the store's address and phone number.

_Smart girl._

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow." Klaus said, earning a nod from Caroline.

It was only a few blocks away when he started get worried. What if she thought he was going on a date? Did she give him a flower expecting him to give it to some other girl? He groaned.

After stopping by his apartment for a moment, which was located a couple of blocks away from the tattoo shop, Klaus got in his car and drove outside town. He knew that road like the back of his hand. And how could he not? He drove there every Monday. He would hold the wheel a little bit tighter whenever he drove by one specific spot beside the road. The memories were still fresh in his head. He could still see the pieces of twisted and dented metal that were once a car. He could still hear the sirens and see the lights flashing. The blood.

Klaus took a breath and kept driving until destination, his parents' big old manor. His father was still at work, and his mother was busy organizing some charity event, so after a quick kiss on her cheek, Klaus walked to the room at the end of the hall.

"Knock knock." He said while pocking his head inside.

Henrik, who sat with a book in his hands, turned his head and smiled widely at his brother.

"Nik!" He greeted cheerfully before turning and rolling his wheel chair towards Klaus.

Seeing him like that after all those years was still painful for Klaus. If it wasn't because of Henrik's strength and sense of humor, Klaus probably wouldn't have survived the heartache. Henrik was only 15 and he spent a big part of his life on that wheel chair.

"Hello kiddo. How are you today?" Klaus asked before leaning to wrap his arms around his baby brother's shoulders.

"I'm okay. I got my report card this morning and I'm doing great at school. Father said he'll get me a new video game console." He said with excitement. Klaus chuckled as he sat down on the couch, Henrik surely was the spoiled baby in the family. And with good reason, not just because of the accident but because he was a sweet and hard working kid.

"Are you getting ready for prom?" Klaus asked with a smirk, making Henrik sigh.

"Yeah… it's hard!"

"Why? Can't find a date?"

Henrik blushed and bit his lower lip.

"It's the opposite actually. I've been asked by three girls to be their date."

Klaus' eyes opened so widely that Henrik thought they would fall down.

"THREE GIRLS?!"

"Yeah, at first I thought it was because of the wheel chair, but I've been told it's because of the accent and my awesome poems for my English class."

Klaus laughed hard.

"Kol will be proud." He commented.

"What's with the flower? Did you get it for a girl?" Henrik asked when he noticed the flower in Klaus' hand. Klaus smiled.

"I don't know. Last time I checked you were a boy." He joked as he passed the flower to Henrik.

"Har har, hilarious!" Henrik said, but he accepted the flower anyway. "You should get a girlfriend."

"Not all of us have as much game as you do, mister "3 prom dates"." He teased before smiling. "Perhaps someday. Now, wanna play some videogames?"

Henrik's face lighted up with a big smile.

"I race you!" He yelled as he wheeled his chair to the game room.


	3. Chapter 3

A couple of weeks passed since the flower shop opened and Klaus crossed paths with Caroline a few times. They exchanged pleasantries and proved to be good neighbors. Klaus thought about asking her out a few times –having Stefan breathing down his neck added a few more- but whenever her was about to ask, something would happen. They were either interrupted by a costumer walking in, a phone ringing, or Matt Donovan.  
Damn you, Matt Donovan…  
But most of the times it was Klaus' fault.  
"Would you go out with me?" How hard can it be to say those words? Well, apparently a lot harder than expected. This never happened to him before, probably because he never had to ask it so directly. Girls would flirt with him, even throw themselves at him. But Caroline was different, and Klaus didn't want to confuse her politeness with flirting. So whenever he stopped by her flower shop for some reason –lately he could come up with many reasons to stop by- or whenever they ran into each other before opening the shops, Klaus would open his mouth to pronounce those word, bBut nothing would come out and it would leave them staring at each other awkwardly.  
The further he got was to say "Would you... uh….. sell me some jasmines? My mother loves those…" When he walked into the tattoo shop holding a bouquet, he glared at his brother and Stefan. "Don't even say a word." And then he groaned, leaning his back against the door.  
"I told you he wouldn't do it." Kol said to Stefan. "Pay up, Salvatore." And with that, Stefan grumbled and handed him a 20 dollars bill.  
Bastard! Making bets regarding my love life!  
The good news is that Esther Mikaelson was delighted to get flowers from her son that day.  
The bad news is that Klaus' sister, Rebekah, started to get curious and asked Stefan, her boyfriend, to tell her where all the flowers came from –Stefan stayed true to his words and bought flowers for Rebekah very often-. And that's how she found out about her brother's crush. Stefan tried to be a good "bro" and keep his friend's affairs privately. But when Rebekah wanted something, she would get it, even if she had to go on a sex strike.  
The very next morning Rebekah drove to the flower shop and introduced herself to Caroline. She wanted to get to know the girl and form an opinion about her before Klaus could ask her out. Maybe even scare her away if she didn't meet her standards. Klaus wasn't aware of any of that, but he knew his sister very well. So when he saw Rebekah walking into the tattoo shop with a bouquet of flowers he put the machine down, closed his eyes and muttered a curse.  
"Morning!" Rebekah greeted happily as she skipped to Stefan's station to kiss him. It was quick peck since he had a client.  
"What brings you by, little sister?" Klaus asked.  
"Can't a girl stop by to see her favorite brother?... and Kol?" She added.  
"Hey!" Kol whined from behind the counter. Klaus looked at her unimpressed, so she sighed and continued.  
"I came to see the girl at the flower shop. I wanted to see what all the fuzz was about." Klaus glared at his friend and Stefan knew what it meant.  
Traitor.  
"And?" Stefan asked.  
Rebekah pursed her lips like she was thinking deeply and then smiled.  
"She's lovely! We're having tea next weekend." She suddenly said. "I invited her to the manor where, you know, mother keeps baby pictures of you…" She added.  
"Rebekah!" Klaus yelled after her as she bolted and rushed out the shop. "Damn it!" He turned to look at Stefan, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.  
"Um excuse me?" the guy on the bed in his station said, bringing Klaus back to the task in hand.  
"Right! Sorry… Family drama."  
"Were you talking about the blonde next door?" The guy asked. "She's really pretty."  
Klaus glared at him.  
"Unless you want me to tattoo a dick on your shoulder, I suggest you to shut up."  
.  
"So I called our guy and the new latex gloves should arrive in two days." Kol said as he turned his computer off. He could be a pain in the ass but Klaus had to admit he could do a good job taking care of the tattoo shop.  
"That's great, thanks Kol." Klaus said while collecting his things. It was late and time to close the shop. Stefan was already gone, having a dinner date planed with Rebekah. "You get going, I'll lock the place up." He added and his brother nodded.  
"Alright. See you tomorrow Nik."  
Kol left right then and Klaus followed a few minutes later after turning the lights off. But just as he was about to lock the door he saw Caroline doing the same. It wasn't the first time he saw her leaving the shop, but this was the first time he saw her cry.  
"Caroline, what's wrong?" He asked with a frown.  
Caroline took a couple of shaky breaths. One hand held a bag of Tai takeout food, while the other used the sleeve of her huge –yet adorable- cardigan to dry her tears.  
"Oh it's nothing. I had a rough morning today. I tried to keep the tears in so now they're unstoppable and I'm crying like an idiot." Caroline said with her face turned away from Klaus. "And I ran out of tissues!" She added while stomping her foot.  
"Hang on, don't move." Klaus said before entering the shop once again. He rushed to the cabinet of supplies and took a box of tissues before walking back out and locking the door. "Here." He said while handing the box to her. "We have like a hundred of those."  
Caroline turned to look at the box and then at him. Her big blue eyes looked red and glassy, and the way her lip trembled made Klaus' heart ache. She took the box and opened. Klaus just wanted to comfort her, and perhaps even kill whoever made her cry.  
"Thank you." She said softly as she dried her face with a tissue and then she blew her nose. Was there anything this woman could do that didn't look incredibly cute?  
"No problem, love. Will you tell me now what's got you so upset? I know you met my sister this morning and I know she can be intimidating, but I'm guessing that's not it." He said to light the mood while still letting her know he was there for her. Caroline bit her lower lip hesitantly, making Klaus wish he could be the one nibbling it.  
He wanted to lean in and….  
"This morning I had to make a flower arrangement for a funeral. It's not my first time, of course. But usually they're for old people. I'm not saying it's okay that old people die, but they lived their lives and you know…." She rambled on and then suddenly stopped to take a breath. "But this arrangement was for a young boy's funeral. He had been sick for a long time. His mom and grandma came in and the grandmother did all the talking but the mom just stood there looking at nothing… it was heartbreaking."Henrik's face just popped into Klaus head as he listened. The idea of something like that happening to his brother, or any other young boy was indeed heartbreaking. "He was just a kid, with all his life ahead of him, you know?"  
Klaus nodded his head. Boy, did he know!  
"I know it's hard love, but you can't let your job get you like this every time, because there will be others." He said in a soft tone, his hands moving to rest on her arms in a comforting manner. "There's nothing you could've done. At least I'm sure you did a good job with those flowers." Caroline snorted and looked down.  
"I don't think that really matters to the parents."  
"Maybe not, but it matters to you."  
Caroline looked up at him and nodded slightly.  
"Thank you."  
"No problem." He said with a shrug. She looked down to the bag of food she was holding and lifted it up a little.  
"I ordered Tai food, would you like to come upstairs and have dinner?"  
Klaus was taken aback by the question, but of course that was a chance he couldn't pass.  
"Only if you promise me you'll stop crying and smile instead. Otherwise you'll make me feel self conscious."  
Caroline let out a small laugh that made Klaus' chest burn with pride.  
"Alright, follow me."  
She lead him to a small door on the other side of the shop that lead to some stairs, and on top of the stairs was her little but cozy apartment.  
"I didn't know you lived above the flower shop." Klaus commented while taking his jacket off.  
"Yeah, I just assumed it would be easier if I lived close to the shop, and when this place turned out to be for rent I couldn't refuse." Caroline replied from the kitchen, where she put the food on plates.  
"It seems like you have the stars on your favor." He said, frowning a second later at how stupid he just sounded.  
Who talks like that?  
But Caroline laughed and set the plates on the table.  
"You could say so. The bills aren't too expensive; the location is good and the neighbors…. Well, they could be worse." She joked and made Klaus laugh.  
"I take pride in being a good neighbor."  
They both sat down and had dinner, and of couse Klaus took his chance to get to know her better. He found out she was born and raised in a small town in Virginia, the only child of a divorced couple, and that she moved to San Fanscisco because some of her friends from high school lived there, which made the process of opening the flower shop a lot easier. He told her about his siblings -Carolineˋs eyes opened widely when he told her they were six in total-, their time in London and how they moved to America because of his fatherˋs job.  
After dinner Caroline thanked Klaus for being so supportive when she got upset. She rambled on about how it wasn't any of her business or how she shouldn't get so upset-she knew she would have to face some sad situations when she opened the shop- but she acknowledged to be a very sensitive person. That's when Klaus decided it was time to bring up a difficult subject. They were washing the dishes together, which looked very domestic and for some reason Klaus liked it.  
"I understand why you got so upset today." He commented while handing her the last plate for her to dry. "I told you I have younger brother named Herik but I didnˋt tell you heˋs in a wheelchair."  
Caroline put the plate down and turned to look at him.  
"What happened to him?"  
"We were in a car accident." Klaus replied.  
"We? Are you saying you were in it too?" She asked with wide eyes.  
Klaus nodded.  
"It was five years ago. His doctor said he was lucky, if the impact had been six inches closer to him he would've died." Klaus left out the part where he yelled at the doctor that Henrik wasn't in fact lucky and punched him. "And now, every time I see a kid in the news I think to myself 'God, that could've happen to Henrik'."  
Caroline opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Instead she placed a hand on his shoulder and Klaus found a little bit comforting. But then she turned him around and hugged him. Klaus blinked confused but after a moment he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back.  
"I'm sorry." She said. "He's okay now tough. Right?"  
"Yeah, he's as happy as he could be in his situation."  
Caroline stepped back and smiled at him.  
"I'm glad you're okay too."  
.  
Henrik woke up at the sound of his phone ringing. He looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table and saw it was midnight. He took the phone and checked the name on the screen.  
"Nik." He greeted sleepily.  
"Henrik. I'm sorry, I must've woken you up." Klaus groaned, totally forgoting Henrik had school the next morning.  
"It's okay. Are you alright?"  
There was a short silence and Henrik knew where this was going. Klaus wasn't alright.  
"Yes." Klaus lied. "I just wanted to talk."  
Henrik sighed.  
"Nik, we've been over this before. You only call at night when you can't sleep because you're feeling guilty. Are you even sober?"  
Klaus looked down to the glass of scotch he was holding.  
"Yes."  
"Liar." Henrik accused.  
"I'm so sorry, Henrik." Klaus whispered and to Henrik he sounded so broken, it hurt.  
"I told you a thousand times Nik. I forgave you long time ago."  
"I know." And he did know, but it wasn't Henrik's forgiveness that he needed. No, he needed his own. "I just wish there was something I could do."  
At that Henrik smiled.  
"I wanna see the meteors."  
"The meteors?"  
"Yeah, there's supposed to be a meteor shower next week. I need help to sneak out so I can see them."  
Klaus chuckled lightly.  
"I'll pick you up then."  
"Great! I'll see you then. Oh, and Nik?"  
"Yeah Henrik?"  
"I love you. Now stop being so stubborn and let me sleep. I have to be up early." He heard his bother laughing on the other side of the line.  
"Love you too buddy. Sleep tight."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I’m on a roll!! Two chapters in one day!! I guess I’m inspired, I really don’t think I would’ve been able to sleep if I hadn’t finished this. Thank you all for your kind reviews!!  
I decided that Mikael and Klaus won’t be mortal enemies in this fanfiction. I didn’t see the point of it. They’re still not that close to each other, but at least Mikael isn’t a complete dick to Klaus. It might seem weird but I think changing things a little bit can be good.

 

The way the pencil moved on the paper made Klaus feel at ease, specially since the object of his drawing was so beautiful.  
You guessed it, he was drawing Caroline. And how could he not? She was just so full of light, he thought he would go blind if he stared at her for too long. But he couldn’t help it. She was so bright, Klaus thought that if she was a flower, she would be a sunflower.  
He had to ask her out. And it had to be soon before anyone else could snatch her away. He wasn’t even sure she was single, he never dared to ask but so far she hadn’t mentioned anyone special.  
A flash of light caught his attention and he looked up through the window. An electric storm had formed above the city and it was raining heavily. Usually it wouldn’t bother Klaus and since the day was a little slow at the shop, he could take most of the day off and relax –and of course, draw certain blonde beauty in his sketchbook- but that night was the meteor shower and Henrik sounded really disappointed over the phone when they agreed that they wouldn’t be able to see anything.  
It was a shame.  
The door opened for the first time in two hours and when Klaus looked up he found Caroline standing by the door with a colorful umbrella. Klaus’ eyes opened widely and he rushed to close the sketchbook before she could see anything.  
“Caroline, hey! What brings you by?” He asked while getting up from his chair.  
“I wanted to bring you back the hammer I borrowed.” She replied while handing him the tool. “Where are the others?” She then asked as she looked around the empty shop.  
“I let them go early. There isn’t much work to do during days like this, besides Kol needs to study for his exams and Stefan had a dinner date planned with Rebekah…” another lightning fell and lightened the room. “Umm but I’m not sure if their plans are still on with this rain.”  
Caroline nodded her head.  
“Days like this are perfect to stay in, lay down and do nothing, don’t you think?” She said with a contagious smile. “At least that’s what I’m planning to do. What about you? Did you have any plans before the rain?” She asked curiously.  
“Yeah, I was supposed to see the meteor shower.” Klaus replied. “So instead I think I’ll just close and go home.”  
“I read about that in the newspaper. That’s a shame.” Caroline commented.  
“I don’t really mind but Henrik wanted to see it and I promised him we would do it together.”  
Caroline’s face dropped.  
“That’s not right!”  
Klaus wanted to take her in his arms and hold her tight. She was just too kind.  
“I know, but what can I do?” Klaus said with a shrug. Caroline stood there with her lips pursed and looking like she was deep in her thoughts.  
“I say we get him a meteor shower!”  
Klaus blinked confused.  
“What?”  
“Trust me on this, okay? I’ll go get some things and I’ll meet you outside. He’ll love it!” And with that she skipped out the tattoo shop.  
Klaus was confused but he turned the lights off and locked the shop anyway. Caroline was inside the delivery van and she honked to him when he looked around for her. He found himself feeling curious to see what she was up to, and by the she smiled and bounced on her seat it couldn’t be a bad thing. He tried to coax her to tell him, but she was being very secretive. And Klaus couldn’t find one single fiber in his body that didn’t actually enjoy it.  
So she drove them to Klaus’ old house, which she already knew thanks to her recently formed friendship with Rebekah and when they got out, she took a big box with her.  
Note to self: kill Rebekah.  
They rushed inside due the heavy rain.  
“Niklaus, what are you doing here?” Mikael asked when he spotted his son walking into the house.  
“Honestly father, I have no idea.” He said giving Caroline a look. She giggled and smiled innocently.   
“I’m Caroline, it’s nice to meet you.” She stepped closer and shook Mikael’s hand. “I own the flower shop next to Klaus’ tattoo shop.” She explained.  
“The flowers girl everyone has been talking about.” Mikael said. Caroline tilted her head curiously while Klaus groaned behind her. “My wife goes on and on about the jasmines.”  
“Nik? What are you doing here?” Everyone turned to look at Henry as he wheeled his chair towards them.   
“You must be Henrik!” Caroline said delighted. “Klaus told me you wanted to see the meteor shower.”  
“Yeah, but because of the storm we won’t be able to see anything.” Henrik said looking back and forth between Caroline and Klaus.  
“I brought something that might cheer you up. We just need a room with a big wall or ceiling.”  
Henrik blinked a couple of times before turning his chair.   
“Yeah, we can use the game room. It’s this way.”  
Klaus and Mikael stared as Caroline and Henrik left the room.  
“She really is something, isn’t she?” Mikael said in a teasing tone. Klaus turned to look at his father.  
“Please, not you too…” He complained, which made Mikael smirk.  
“What? I’m just saying. You better go before Henrik starts flirting with her. Last time we went to the hospital he hit on a nurse.”  
Klaus made a face.  
“Did it work?”  
“No, of course not! He’s underage! But he did get a peck on the cheek and a lollipop.”  
And with that Klaus laughed hard.  
By the time he walked into the game room, Caroline was sitting on the floor, putting together some sort of device made with a pair of lenses and a shoebox and explaining to Henrik how it worked.  
“…So the first lens catches the light from the phone, and the other lens increases it, and that makes a projection.”  
“Where did you learn all this?” Henrik asked.  
“Pizza Hut!” Caroline replied. “They would teach people how to use the pizza boxes to make these.” She put the box down and then started typing something in her phone. Klaus and his brother watched curiously and after a moment she put the phone inside the box and closed it. “Klaus, could you please turn the lights off?”  
Klaus did what she asked and then they saw a projection on the ceiling. It was night sky with thousand stars.  
“Wooooow…” Henrik said in awe.  
“Cool, uh?” Caroline said proudly while laying down on the floor to look at the stars. Klaus stared with his mouth open and then laid on the floor next to her.  
A meteor shower started and Henrik smiled widely.  
“This is awesome! Thank you so much Caroline!”  
Caroline smiled.  
“My pleasure.”  
Klaus turned his head and watched her as she looked at the ceiling. She looked so beautiful under that dim light. She turned her head to look back at him. He wanted to kiss her so bad.  
“Hey Caroline? Are you single?” Henrik asked suddenly. Caroline and Klaus both laughed.  
“Easy there, Romeo.” Klaus said.  
.  
Klaus’ heart broke in many pieces a few days later when Rebekah told him the news.  
Someone asked Caroline out and she said yes.   
“His name is Lorenzo Augustine, but she calls him Enzo.” Rebekah said. Klaus didn’t want to hear this, but he had to. This is what he got for not asking her out sooner. “He’s a photographer. She hired him to take some photos of flowers and the shop so she can make some ads.” Rebekah continued. “She caught him taking a picture of her and he told her she had enchanted him.” Klaus sighed, he knew very well what Enzo meant. “And that’s when he asked her out.”

 

N’A/: Next chapter will be from Caroline’s point of view. Perhaps I was very subtle while hinting it, but Caroline has a big secret. I won’t reveal it for a few more chapters, but I still want you all to get a glimpse into Caroline’s mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Why didn’t he kiss me?  
Caroline sighed for the tenth time that morning. She couldn’t keep lying to herself, she had a crush on him since day one but her relationship with Klaus wasn’t going anywhere.  
The morning she met him he looked amazing in his grey Henley, dark jeans and jacket. He clearly had just woken up and was about to start the day, because his short blond curls were handsomely messy and his face was unshaved.  
He had a hint of bad boy she liked so much, and he was witty and charming. He had those dimples that made her heart skip beats, and that accent… don’t get her started on the accent. She was a Jane Austen fan, alright? Like many others she dreamed of Mr. Darcy or Coronel Brandon coming her way to sweep her off her feet.  
British men with British accent are so dreamy…  
And every time she saw him after that morning left her with a tingly sensation on her skin and a fuzzy feeling in her belly. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but she wasn’t blind either, she saw the way he looked at her. Maybe she was just reading him wrong, or at least that’s what she told herself.  
The night before had been magical, she met Klaus’ little brother and father, which was a nice thing to do since she already met Kol and Rebekah -she loved making new friends- and she felt proud for what she did for Henrik. It made the young boy happy, which was important to Klaus. And when they laid on the floor in silence with the stars projected on the ceiling he had looked at her like she was the most interesting thing in the room –and mind you, they were watching a meteor shower-. Caroline expected him to lean in and kiss her. But instead something in his eyes changed and he turned to look back at the ceiling.  
This man was confusing her. He seemed like a guy that could accept her, all of her with her issues and insecurities, and Caroline would be willing to open up to him if given the chance. But now she wasn’t so sure. With everything she went through she needed –and deserved- better.  
So now she stood behind the counter with her head on her hand, sighing sadly while looking absently at the flowers.  
CLICK!  
Caroline looked up and found Enzo taking a picture of her.  
“What are you doing?” She asked while straightening on her spot and looking at him surprised.  
“You know Caroline, a gorgeous girl such as yourself shouldn’t be allowed to look so miserable.” Enzo said smoothly. “My apologies, love. There was something beautiful yet sad about that image and I couldn’t help myself.”  
“You’re supposed to photograph the flowers, not me.”  
“I already did that, now I’m just being inspired. Come on.” He took her hand and walked her around the counter. “Stand here.” He said stopping in front of a vase with margaritas. “Tell me what you see.”  
Caroline looked at the flowers.  
“Lots of margaritas.” Enzo looked at her unimpressed.  
“Wow, don’t oversell it sweetheart.” He said sarcastically. “Tell me what you feel when you look at them. Do they remind you of something? Do you see something else when you look at them?” She pursed her lips and looked at the flowers again.  
“I see… I see my grandma. She loved margaritas, which is funny because her name was Margaret. She used to say that margaritas are stars that fell on the grass, or snowflakes that summer couldn’t melt.” Caroline smiled fondly at the memories. “She called them smiley flowers because according to her, they always look happy. I remember one time, my grandpa…”  
“CLICK!”  
Caroline turned to look at Enzo, who had his camera up and pointing at her.  
“Now that is a picture.” He commented as he lowered the camera. “You look like an entire different person when you talk about something you love.” Caroline shook her head a little.  
“You shouldn’t be doing that.”  
“Why? Should I worry about some jealous boyfriend coming to kick my ass? Because let me tell you darling I’m not afraid to fight for a lady’s honor.”  
Caroline snorted. She had to give it to him, he was a smooth talker.  
“No, I don’t have a boyfriend.” She said and made a pause when she saw a big smile forming on Enzo’s face. “But I hired you to photograph the flowers so I could do the ads, not to photograph me.” She explained as she crossed her arms on her chest. Enzo sighed and his shoulders lowered.  
“Caroline, I don’t actually do ads. I work for magazines.”  
Caroline frowned and stood frozen on her spot, confused by this new information.  
“Why didn’t you say so? You let me hire you anyway…”  
Enzo shrugged.  
“Because when a woman like you walks into your studio asking for help, you don’t refuse.”  
“Like me?” Caroline asked waiting for him to explain. He sighed and after a moment she looked into her eyes.  
“You enchanted me.” He said slow and softly. “When you walked in with your yellow dress and big smile, you bewitched me.”  
WELL HELLO MISTER DARCY!!!   
Caroline blinked in shock a few times and Enzo smiled shyly.  
“And I hope I’m not being too forward by asking you out. Just one cup of coffee and if you don’t wanna see me again after that I’ll just help you with the ads and then leave you alone. What do you say?”  
Something in Caroline’s chest twisted and tugged. Why did he had to have a British accent? Yes, it made her melt inside, but it reminded her of “him”. Enzo didn’t look like Klaus at all, but couldn’t help but compare them.  
Screw Klaus! I’m not getting any younger!  
She gave Enzo her best smile and nodded.  
“I would love that.”  
And they lived happily ever after!  
Just kidding.  
But it was a nice start. Enzo took her out for a cup of coffee and they had fun. He then helped her to design her ads with his photos and on their third date he gave her a present. It was the picture he took of her talking about the margaritas. He even framed it for her. It was really beautiful and for a moment Caroline couldn’t believe that the girl in the picture was her. The light, the flowers, her smile, everything made a wonderful image and Enzo certainly had a good eye. That night they shared their first kiss.  
Days became weeks and Caroline grew closer to Enzo, but as closer she got to him, her distance with Klaus grew.  
It had only been a couple of days after her first date with Enzo when she noticed Klaus’ odd behavior. At first he wasn’t so keen on asking her about her day or what brought her to his shop. He would pretty much ignore her and let Stefan or Kol take care of her. Then he would barely look at her –if he even looked at her at all- whenever they ran into each other. Eventually she realized that he wasn’t locking the shop anymore and she wondered if he asked Kol to lock it himself so he wouldn’t run into her. She even tried asking about Henrik, but all she got was a short replied that came out as a barely audible mumble.  
Caroline went over and over every moment they spent together trying to find out where she messed up things with him. He didn’t have to like her, but they worked next to each other, so they might as well get along, maybe even be friends. But she came up with nothing, she had been perfectly nice to him, so his attitude towards her left her confused, frustrated and mostly, hurt.  
At some point she wondered if she should even care. Why worry about a rude man when your boyfriend is a sweetheart?  
.  
Klaus wasn’t sure what hurt the most. Knowing she was dating someone else, knowing that if he ever had a chance with her he blew it himself by being a coward, or the sad look on her face whenever he gave her the cold shoulder. But they all hurt, making the ache unbearable and taking his sleep at night. The worst part was when Henrik asked about her and Klaus had nothing to say –or at least nothing he wanted his little brother to know-.  
One Friday night Kol and Stefan insisted on going to their usual bar and have some drinks. On their way there Klaus realized he forgot his wallet and returned to the tattoo shop. Just as he was about to lock the door again, the door leading to Caroline’s apartment opened and she stepped out.  
The air left Klaus’ lungs. She looked stunning and yet so different from any other day. Being so used to seeing her in flowery dresses, Klaus never imagined she owned anything else. But there she stood, with skin tight jeans, a red top and a black jacket and black boots. Her make up was a lot heavier too, with thick cat eyes and red lipstick. She looked like a woman about to conquer the world.   
“Hey.” She said softly as she locked her door. Klaus realized she was probably on her way to a date, and just like that his mood got ten times worse. “Haven’t seeing you around.” She commented.  
“Been busy.” He said nonchalantly with a shrug.  
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” Caroline said as she took a step closer to him. “I would’ve done it sooner but I have the feeling you’ve been ignoring me.”  
Klaus took a deep breath. He wasn’t ready for that, he couldn’t tell her he was jealous, he had no right to be jealous –but we all know feelings aren’t rational-. Her voice was so soft and sweet, but she also sounded worried and maybe even hurt, and Klaus knew that he would give into whatever she wanted as long as she asked with that voice.  
A motorcycle appeared next to them on the sidewalk and the driver took his helmet off.  
“Evening gorgeous.” The man said. “You look ravishing tonight, as always.”  
The fact that he had a British accent left Klaus perplexed.  
“Hi Enzo.” Caroline said awkwardly with her cheeks tuning pink. “Thanks, you look very handsome yourself. This is Klaus, he…” She had lifted her hand to start the introductions when Klaus suddenly turned around and walked away.  
Caroline frowned and blinked in shock.  
“Well that was rude.” Enzo mumbled before handing her his extra helmet. She took it and put it on, and as she climbed on the motorcycle she glanced back to Klaus’ retreating figure.  
That hurt.  
.  
Caroline tried to enjoy her night despite Klaus’ behavior. Enzo took her to a fancy Italian restaurant and acted like a complete gentleman, even when they stood outside her apartment, kissing like horny teenagers, and he did nothing to put pressure on her. She knew he wanted her to invite him in. She noticed the longing looks and the way he would touch her more than necessarily… yeah, okay, he had also said it out loud. He hadn’t been rude or gross, just teased her about it.   
But she wasn’t ready.  
And he wasn’t ready either even if he didn’t know that, because there was something he wasn’t aware.  
So Caroline asked him to come inside, just to talk, and he agreed.  
That would be a long night for Caroline, having to voice something she hadn’t talked about in a long time.  
.  
At the bar nothing that Kol or Stefan said or did seemed to cheer Klaus up. They tried to make things better but all he wanted was to drink himself into oblivion –actually, what he really wanted was to fuck Caroline senseless, but that wasn’t a possibility, so he had to go with plan B-.  
He sipped his fourth glass of bourbon when a pretty blonde sat next to him. He closed his eyes and groaned. Wherever he went, whatever he did, Caroline’s face was there, it haunted him.  
He came to the conclusion –probably the alcohol speaking- that if he couldn’t have Caroline, any other blonde look alike should suffice. He introduced himself to the blonde sitting next to him and learned that her name was Camille.  
They talked, they flirted, the gave each other bedroom eyes. When the career subject came and she told him she was a therapist Klaus teased her with all kinds of question until reaching one subject I particular.  
“Can you hypnotize people?” He asked softly, like they were sharing a secret. Camille shook her head.  
“No, but I’ve read about it in one of my classes.”   
“Do you really believe that people can make other people do all sort of things?” Klaus asked, his words were slurred and slow due all the drinking, while Camille was still enjoying her second glass of daiquiri.  
“I’m not so sure. I know it’s a good technique to bring up things from the past, but the patient doesn’t remember them after they’re out of the hypnosis. So it’s not a good tool to remember things.”  
“What if I wanna forget instead?” he whispered suddenly looked less interested in the conversation.  
“You want to forget about something?”  
“Someone.” Klaus corrected absently. Camille realized Klaus’ mind was somewhere else and her face dropped in disappointment. She finished her drink and payed for it.  
“You can’t forget about someone, all you can do is move on. It will hurt and it will take time, but even if you could forget about them entirely I wouldn’t recommend it. That’s just how life it is, and it keeps us from making the same mistakes all over again.” She put her coat on and left.


	6. Chapter 6

Caroline watched Enzo as he processed everything she just said.  
“That’s… quite the story.” He mumbled. Indeed it was, it took Caroline about an hour to tell it completely. “And now…” He didn’t finish the sentence but Caroline knew where he was going.  
“I’m okay.” She assured him. “But now you probably understand that I have certain insecurities.”  
Enzo nodded his head.  
“Yes of course I understand.” There was a silence while he looked thoughtful. “But if you don’t mind me saying it Caroline, I don’t think THIS is what holds you back.”  
Aaaaand by “holding back” he meant “abstain from sex.”  
Caroline looked at him confused.  
“What do you mean?”  
Enzo smiled softly and took her hands.  
“You surely must know you’re a beautiful woman, and very strong one for what you just told me. Whatever insecurity you have, whatever flaw you think I’ll find in you I can assure you I won’t. I’m more understanding than that. I’m not looking for perfection. I have flaws myself, which are worse because I could fix them yet I don’t. Your situation is different. But that’s not what’s stopping you from… well…” He grinned sheepishly, which caused Caroline to chuckle and slap his arm. “You know… do the horizontal tango.” He finished with his eyebrows wiggling.  
“You’re a dork.” Caroline laughed.  
“You have someone else in mind.” Enzo suddenly said. “And I’m not sure but I’m guessing it’s the tattoo fellow from next door.”  
Caroline’s face dropped. She felt like a kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar. And by Enzo, sweet, caring Enzo none the less.  
“How did you-“  
“A couple of weeks ago you told me about the night you projected the meteor shower and you spoke fondly of him. You know what I saw?” Caroline shook her head in astonishment. Enzo got up and took her picture with the margaritas, the one he snapped the morning he asked her out and the very same one he framed for her. “I saw this. You had this look on your face.”  
Caroline looked down embarrassed and chewed her lower lip.  
“I’m so sorry.” She whispered.  
“It’s alright gorgeous.” Enzo said while sitting back down on the couch next to her. “I understand, feelings aren’t rational. I find myself struggling to get over my ex Maggie sometimes.”  
“I didn’t mean to make you feel like a rebound, really.” Caroline said. “I just want to move on. Move on from my silly crush, from my past, from everything. I’m alive, you know how lucky I am to be alive? But I’m not living. Not really. I’m just existing.” She said lowly and frustrated.  
Enzo sighed and nodded.  
“And you won’t do more than just exist until you’ve overcome your insecurities. But you should do that with the help of someone who makes you feel safe. Someone you love.”  
Caroline nodded her head and looked up at him through her lashes.  
“You don’t hate me, right?”  
“I could never hate you, sweetheart.” He said softly and then got serious. “But if this guy hurts you in any way, I’m running over him with my motorcycle.”  
Caroline laughed and gave him a hug. They stayed up all night talking. That was the first and last time they would do that.  
At the end, when the sun started to come up Enzo said good bye, gave her a hug, a peck on the cheek, climbed up his bike and drove away.  
Caroline sighed with relief, everything turned out better than expected and even though it pained her the idea of ever hurting someone as sweet as Enzo, she was glad that it was over. But mostly she felt a weight being lifted from her chest and she realized it was time not just to accept her past but embrace it and own it.   
She quickly typed at text to Rebekah, asking her to meet her the next day for tea. She was a woman on a mission, she would fix things with Klaus, be his friend again and if she had good luck, maybe even more.  
.  
Saturdays were slow days and Klaus didn’t bother opening the shop unless some costumer had schedule an appointment. But that morning Klaus couldn’t sleep and he decided to head down to the shop anyway. He just couldn’t lie there anymore thinking that somewhere else Caroline was in some other man’s arms, and the guilt he felt caused by his horrible behavior towards her was eating him alive.  
The alcohol he drank the night before only served it’s purpose for a short period of time and by the time Klaus was back at his apartment, he heartache had found him again. How else would he feel after coming home to an empty apartment filled with sketches of her? He really needed to put those sketchbooks away, but he didn’t have the strength to do so.  
He thought that some time at the shop working on his designs would clear his mind. But he wasn’t expecting seeing Enzo leaving Caroline’s apartment as he turned around the corner. It felt like someone had punched him on the stomach. He felt sick, dizzy, heartbroken.  
He leaned against a wall to close his eyes and take a breath. Sadness quickly turned into jealousy, jealousy into anger, and finally anger turned into rage.  
He swore there and then that he would forget about her and move on.  
.  
“Enzo and I broke up.” Caroline suddenly said, making Rebekah choke on her tea.  
“Bloody hell, Caroline! You can’t drop a bomb like that while I drink hot tea!” She said while taking a napkin. “I think it went up the wrong pipe and burnt my nose.” She said before blowing it. Caroline smiled ashamed.  
“Sorry. I just thought you should know. I didn’t think you would care so much.” She said giggling.  
“Of course I care! Specially when…” Rebekah caught herself before she could finish that sentence with ‘when my brother is so insanely in love with you’. Instead she went with “…when… when things were going so well.”  
Their lovely tea party with cute little cups that Sunday afternoon suddenly took an interesting turn.  
Caroline bit her lower lip and looked down.  
“I couldn’t take it to the next level…” She whispered. Rebekah frowned.  
“Caroline… Are you a virgin?”   
“No!” Caroline said in a hushed tone as she looked around to see if anyone was listening. “No, that’s not it. I…” She took a breath. “I like someone else and he could tell.”  
Rebekah leaned into the table, suddenly more interested.  
“Who?”  
Caroline blushed.  
“I’m not sure you’d like to know. It’s one of your brothers.”  
“I’m guessing it’s not Finn, since he’s in England, nor Elijah, who lives in New York. It can’t be Henrik because you’re not in a rush to go to jail and you’re not dumb enough to fall for Kol’s sad attempts to flirt. So it’s gotta be Niklaus. Please tell me it’s Nik. Please!”  
Caroline looked at Rebekah with a little fear.  
“I… Uh… Yeah, I like Klaus.” She stuttered.  
“Thank God!” Rebekah said clapping happily.  
“What’s going on with you?” Caroline asked worried for her friend’s behavior.  
Rebekah stopped and took a breath.  
“Nothing, I just like the idea of my friend and my favorite brother getting together.” She said and Caroline snorted.  
“Well don’t get your hopes up, I don’t think he likes you very much. We used to get along just fine but lately I think he’s ignoring me.” Caroline said sadly.  
Rebekah shook her head. She wanted to tell Caroline the truth, let her know she was wrong, but she didn’t want to intrude.  
“Caroline.” She said softly while reaching for her arm. “I’m sure Klaus would love to go out with you. You just have to be brave enough to ask.”  
“You really think he would say yes?” Caroline asked, her eyes lighted up with hope.  
“I’m sure.” Rebekah said.  
.  
The next morning Caroline put on her cutest white dress, curled her hair perfectly and did her make up lightly. She felt fuzzy inside, she was nervous and she barely slept at all the night before. But she was ready. She was going to tell Klaus that she liked him –alright, maybe not tell him she liked him, but at least ask him out.  
She waited by the door at the flower shop and when she saw Klaus approaching the tattoo shop to open for the day, she smoothed down her dress and walked towards him.  
“Hi Klaus!” She said cheerfully. The butterflies in her felly felt like they were on Adderall.   
“Caroline.” He said curtly with a nod.  
“Can we talk?” She asked sweetly.  
“I can’t now, I have to open the shop and then I have a lot of work to do.” He said as they reached the door to the tattoo shop. Caroline tried not to lose hope.  
“Well, maybe after work? We could have Tai food again.” She suggested. Suddenly, Klaus turned to look at her as he pushed the door open, and he looked so angry Caroline took a step back.  
“Don’t you get it, Caroline? I don’t have time for you and whatever silliness you’re up to now.” He said.  
Caroline thought she would break down and cry, but instead she stood straight and lifted her chin.  
“What is wrong with you? I’m trying to be nice to you, to tell you something important and you’re acting like an ass!”  
“Well excuse me princess, we can’t all be happy people in a world filled with flowers, fairies and stupid lady bugs!” He yelled before stepping into the shop and shutting the door to her face.  
Caroline huffed and walked to the flower shop and only after finding herself safe from prying eyes she let the tears roll.  
.  
“Alright mate, off you go.” Klaus said to his last costumer of the day after patching up the tattoo. He felt exhausted after a long day. It’s not that he had too many costumers or anything, but his spat with Caroline earlier that morning took a toll on him.  
He knew he acted badly, but he couldn’t help himself. He knew he had to stop seeing her as much as possible if he wanted to move on, and that meant refusing any invitation on her part.  
She looked so breathtakingly beautiful that morning, it made Klaus’ heart ache and he knew that he had to be strong or else he would give into whatever she wanted.  
How could an angel be so bad for him?  
He sighed and looked at Stefan, who sat at his station, drawing new designs.  
“What do you think about moving the tattoo shop somewhere else?” He asked. Stefan frowned.  
“Why would we move somewhere else? This place is perfect.” Stefan said confused.  
“I just think it would be nice a change of scenery.” Klaus commented nonchalantly .  
“Wouldn’t this have anything to do with Caroline?” Kol asked from behind the counter.  
“No.” Klaus replied shortly but Stefan knew better.  
“Good, because you were here first, if anything she should be the one moving away.” Kol added.  
“Klaus I know it hurts, but it’s a little crush, it’ll pass.” Stefan said, trying to be a good friend. Klaus just looked away and sighed. Stefan watched him for a moment before realizing something. This wasn’t some crush. Klaus looked like he hadn’t sleep in days, he was moody and angry and when they went to the bar he drank like his life depended on it. His friend was a mess. “Oh lord…” He mumbled. “You’re in love with her.”  
Before Klaus could deny it or say anything else, they heard something breaking. It sounded like it came from the other side of the wall they shared with the flower shop.  
“What was that?” Kol asked.  
“Maybe Caroline droped a vase or a pot.” Stefan said.  
“BANG!”  
The three men got up from the chairs at the same time in surprise.   
“Was that…” Kol started. They looked at each other pale faces.  
“A gunshot.” Stefan finished.  
Klaus didn’t want to believe it.  
“Oh god… Caroline!” He yelled as he ran towards the door.  
“Nik, no!” Kol called out for his brother. “It could be dangerous!” But Klaus was already out the door.  
“Call 911.” Stefan ordered as he followed his friend.  
Outside the saw a man –a criminal- running out the flower shop and getting lost in the night.  
Klaus threw the door open and looked around the shop frantically. No one was there.  
“Caroline! Caroline!”  
He found her behind the counter.


	7. Chapter 7

He found her behind the counter.  
She was sitting on the floor with her hands covering her ears and her knees pressed against her chest.   
Klaus rushed to her, dropping on his knees in front of her as he frantically searched for any wound or sign of injury. He couldn’t find any, which gave him a brief moment of relief. She was shaking badly though and wouldn’t open her eyes.  
“Caroline, I need you to look at me, I need you to tell me if you’re hurt.”  
Caroline opened her eyes but she looked into space absently.  
“He- He ha-d… gun…” She mumbled over and over again.  
“Klaus?” Stefan called out from beside the counter as he watched Caroline worriedly. “What’s happening?”  
“She’s in shock. She’s gonna need a lot of sugar.”   
Stefan quickly patted his pockets and threw Klaus a pack of Mentos.  
“Good.” Klaus said while catching it and throwing his wallet in return. “Go to the store across the street and see if you can get her something more.”  
Stefan left and Kol walked in.  
“The police is on it’s way.”  
Klaus nodded and held a piece of candy against Caroline’s lips.  
“Come on sweetheart.” He said softly. “Just eat it.”  
Piece by piece he managed to feed Caroline the whole roll of Mentos. Stefan rushed into the shop moments later holding a paper cup and chocolate bars.  
“I got her some tea and put like, I don’t know, five envelopes of sugar in it.”   
Klaus took the cup and held it close to her lips like he did with the candy. She took a sip and made a disgusted face.  
“Okay, maybe they were six.” Stefan mumbled to Kol.  
“I know sweetheart, I know.” Klaus said emphatically to Caroline. “But try to drink some more.” When she fished the cup, Klaus took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “Do you trust me, Caroline?” Caroline blinked a couple of times in silence so Klaus repeated the question until she replied with a simple nod.  
And then he slapped her. Not too hard, he barely palmed her cheek, but it was enough to bring her out of her shock.  
Caroline started crying loud and hysterically and Klaus wrapped his arms around her to keep her calm.  
“It’s okay. It’s okay love, it’s just me. You’re safe.”  
The police arrived then along with an ambulance.  
“Stefan, look!” Kol said looking out the window. “One of the paramedics looks just like you.”  
“That’s my cousin Tom.”  
Tom Avery rushed inside looking for people to help and quickly patted his cousin’s back.  
“Thank God you’re fine, when I heard the address on the radio I got worried.”  
“I’m fine. We’re all fine. It was our neighbor Caroline that got robbed.”  
The officers couldn’t get a word from Caroline while she was in that state, so they focused on asking the boys what happened. They spoke about the gunshot and the man they saw running out of the shop. No one had the chance to see him clearly enough to describe him so Stefan suggested to check the cameras at the store across the street.  
There was a bullet hole the wall, far away from Caroline, which lead the cops to believe it had been fired out of desperation, and with the bullet on their disposal they had more evidence against the criminal.   
Tom knelt next to Caroline on the floor.  
“Caroline? I’m Tom Avery. I’m a paramedic. I need to make sure you’re alright and check your vitals.” He was extremely polite and spoke in a very soft voice. “Do I have your permission to escort you to the ambulance?” He asked and Caroline nodded her head.  
Tom and Klaus helped Caroline to the back of the ambulance where Tom could make sure she was okay. She was unharmed, which filled Klaus with relief, but she was still pretty scared and she held onto his arm as she told the cops what happened.  
A man walked into her store and asked for the flowers behind the counter. While Caroline turned around, the man turned the sign on the door, making it look like it was closed and pulled out a gun that he had been hiding. When she turned around she froze and dropped the vase in surprise.   
She raised her hands as he pointed the gun at her and handed her a bag. He ordered to give him all the money she had and so she did with shaky hands. She was terrified, specially since he kept moving the gun around. Caroline reached the conclusion he was either desperate, mad or drunk. Or maybe all of them.  
He told her to hurry up and threatened to shot her if she screamed or moved from her spot. Once she emptied the cash machine she passed him the bag. The man, clearly in bad state, tried to reach the bag, accidentally firing the gun. That’s when Caroline threw herself on the floor. And that was it.  
Matt arrived after delivering flowers and panicked as he saw the police and the ambulance. Klaus never wanted to punch someone so bad –excepting perhaps Enzo- for not being there with Caroline, for being so careless towards her safety. But sweet, loving Caroline told Matt it wasn’t his fault, he was just doing his job.  
“Well, you’re perfectly fine.” Tom said with a smile that seemed to put Caroline at ease. “No need to take you to the hospital, you can go home.” And then he turned to Klaus. “Someone should stay with her though. Someone close to her that she can trust.”  
Klaus nodded and looked at Matt, but he quickly shook his head.  
“I’m the only one that can stay to clean the shop and lock it up.”  
“What about her boyfriend, Enzo?” Klaus asked. The only think that kept him from spitting after pronouncing that name was the fact that Caroline looked upset enough as it is.  
“Rebekah said they broke up.” Stefan commented.  
In any other situation Klaus would’ve been thrilled to hear that, but that wasn’t the time for that.  
He felt Caroline’s head dropping on his shoulder and when he turned to look at her she had her eyes closed.  
“I’m so tired.” She whispered.  
“It’s normal.” Tom said to the group formed around the ambulance. “Once the adrenaline and sugar wears off, the victim feels exhausted. I believe she could use some sleep.”  
Caroline looked up at Klaus and he melted at the sight.  
“Will you stay with me tonight?”  
Klaus sighed and wrapped his arm around her waist.  
“Of course.”  
.  
Once in her apartment, Klaus helped her with her shoes. She refused to let him help with her clothes, which he understood, and he tuck her in bed still in her dress. She nuzzled the pillow and sighed tiredly.  
“Second time I dodge death.” She mumbled.  
“What?” Klaus asked perplexed but she was already asleep.  
Klaus sat at the end of her bed for an hour, just watching over her, silently thanking God that she was okay. Before leaving her room he decided to light a lamp in case she got scared and as he leaned to the bedside table to do so, he couldn’t help himself an placed a kiss on her forehead.  
He laid on the couch in the living room and sent a quick text to Kol and Stefan to let them know Caroline was resting. Kol replied to let him know that they took care of the tattoo shop for the rest of the night and Stefan assured him he would pass the news to Rebekah, who had been sick worried for her friend.  
Klaus fell asleep two hours after that.  
The next time he opened his eyes the sun was coming up and he could hear the water running. He realized that Caroline must’ve woken up and was taking a shower.  
He got up –his back cracking after sleeping on a small couch- and walked to the kitchen to make breakfast. The water stopped running and by the time coffee was done and the bacon was frying on the pan, Caroline walked into the kitchen.  
She stopped when she saw Klaus.  
“You’re… here.” She observed and Klaus nodded.  
“You asked me to stay last night.” He tried not to let his eyes wander up and down her legs too much. She wore her pink pajamas which were basically a tank top and shorts.  
“Right. Of course! You didn’t have to stay all night though… or make breakfast.” Klaus shrugged. “Thank you.” She said softly while sitting at the kitchen isle. He set a plate in front of her and another by his seat.  
“I wanted to apologize for yelling at you yesterday. That wasn’t right.” Klaus said. Caroline looked at him with her fork in her mouth as she ate a piece of bacon and nodded her head.  
“Right… but why did you yell at me? Did I do something to upset you?” She asked.  
“No, of course not. I was being an ass, like you said. I was just in a bad mood.” Klaus replied.  
“Alright.” Caroline said simply.  
“How are you feeling this morning? I mean after everything that happened last night.”  
“I feel… edgy I guess.” She replied rubbing her hands together. “And stressed. I don’t know how I’ll face being at the store today.”  
“You don’t have to.” Klaus said with a frown. “Matt can take care of it, I’m sure.”  
Caroline sighed.  
“He took a lot of money…” She whispered, meaning the man from the night before. “I ensured the shop but still…”  
“Don’t think about that for now. You’ll be fine.” He comforted her while placing a hand on her arm. She took a breath and nodded.  
“You’re right. Besides I should be grateful. It could’ve been a lot worse.”  
Klaus swallowed hard. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of Caroline being hurt. He had been truly scared for her the night before.  
“Last night you said something that caught my attention.” Klaus started. “You implied that this was the second time you were in risk of dying. What did you mean by that?”  
Caroline frowned.  
“I said that?”  
Klaus only nodded still waiting for an explanation. Caroline sighed and turned on her seat towards him.  
“I’m a breast cancer survivor.” She started. Suddenly Klaus felt sick. “I was 19 when I was diagnosed. I didn’t think it was a possibility at such young age but it is. I was treated against it and eventually I got mastectomy.”  
“What’s that?” Klaus asked worriedly. It sounded bad.  
“Basically the doctors removed my breasts.” She explained shyly.  
“All of them?” Klaus asked and then lifted his hands to his face. “That was a stupid question. I’m sorry.”  
“It’s fine.” Caroline assured him. “It’s not your fault you don’t know these things. Yes, they removed all of them, including the nipples.” She said and Klaus noticed she was blushing. “At the same time they put some tissue expanders which prepare the skin for reconstruction. And two months later I had that reconstruction.”  
“What did they do in the reconstruction?”  
“Um.. it’s… well they gave me implants.” She said playing with the hem of her top. “So now I look like a Barbie doll, plastic and ‘nipple-less’, as if being blonde wasn’t enough.” She joked but her laugh sounded empty to Klaus.  
“I’m so sorry, Caroline.”  
She smiled softly.  
“Thanks. I’m fine now. Well, I’m healthy. But I haven’t been the same.” She looked down to her hands “I used to like my body.” She mumbled. “Now I can’t even look at it in the mirror.”  
Klaus got up from his chair and hugged her tight.  
He would’ve never guessed it, Caroline was a happy, sweet girl. But how else was she expected to be? Should she complain about it? As far as Klaus knew not even Rebekah was aware of it, and they were friends. No, she was an independent, strong, beautiful woman.  
Perhaps she needed to hear that more often.  
“You’re beautiful, Caroline. Never doubt that.”  
She smiled and blushed, which made him smile back.  
“Thanks. It’s hard to talk about it but I guess it’s also good. The only people that know about it are my friends from high school who moved here, like Bonnie, Elena and Matt. When I moved here I wanted to start fresh and I didn’t tell anyone… well, except Enzo.”  
Klaus tried to keep his face even and unreadable.  
“Stefan said you two broke up.” He commented trying to sound nonchalantly.  
“We did. It just wasn’t working. But it’s fine. We stayed up all night and he asked a lot of questions. We ended things friendly.”  
Klaus nodded his head.  
“That’s good.”  
Oh, better than good.  
They finished breakfast and she walked him to the door, where he promised to check on her later. But as soon as he stepped outside he stopped to think.  
Was that really how he wanted to leave things with her?  
She was beautiful, strong, smart… she was also single. Her situation, her past, none of that changed the way he felt about her. She was still Caroline. If anything he now just admired her even more. He just needed to prove it to her. It was time to be brave.  
He turned around and knocked on the door. Caroline opened soon after than, had she only made it so far as a few steps on the stairway to the apartment.  
“Did you forget something?” She asked while opening the door.  
“Not exactly.” He stepped back inside the little hall and before Caroline knew, Klaus had her pressed against the wall and was kissing her like his life depended on it.  
It took her a second or two to realize what was happening but once she did she started kissing him back. His hands gripped her hips and pressed her against him while hers ran through his short blond curls.  
He kissed her. He kissed her hard, fervently, hungrily. He kissed her until his lips hurt and they were both out of air. He rested his forehead against hers and smiled softly.  
“Oh.” Was all that came from Caroline, clearly still surprised.  
“I’ve been a coward.” He whispered. One hand traveled to her face to push a lock of her hair away and then stroked her cheek. “I should’ve told you how much I like you long time ago. I should’ve asked you out before Enzo did.” He sighed. “I should’ve kissed you the night of the meteor shower.”  
Caroline’s heartbeat was fast and uneven.  
“You should have.” She agreed softly, making Klaus chuckle. But after a moment of just looking at her, just standing there with her in his arms, he got serious again and held her tighter.  
“Last night I thought you’ve been shot. It felt like an eternity. I thought I’d lost you and it pained me that the last words I said to you before that were so cruel.”  
“You couldn’t have known that would happen.” Caroline said shaking her head.  
“Still, I’m sorry.” He said before tilting his head to kiss her cheek. Caroline lifted her face and Klaus kept kissing her until he reached her lips.   
“If getting robbed is what it takes for you to kiss me, then…” Klaus put a finger on her lips to silence her.  
“Don’t even think about it, that’s not funny.”  
They kissed again. And again. And one more time. And this time, Klaus asked her out before leaving.  
She said yes, of course.  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Cancer is no joke. One of my best friend’s mom died when my friend was 12. Now my friend has a son and she always says she wishes her mom was here to teach her how to be a mother, to be with her every step of the way. So I invite you all to read about the subject and stay informed. Did you know men can get breast cancer too? Most men don’t think that’s possible.   
> I started this fanfic based on something I read in Tumblr, it was a survivor’s testimony that explained how life was after the mastectomy, and I think it’s very inspiring how she embraced her body. One particular thing she did inspired me the most to write this story, but I won’t say what just yet, for Caroline will follow the same path and I think you guys will enjoy it. It will be filled with Klaroline feels.  
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

This was it. Their first official date. And Klaus couldn’t remember the last time he was so nervous.  
After that morning when they kissed for the first time Klaus felt he was living a dream. He would see her every morning before opening the shop. He even caught her a few times without make up while she was still getting ready, and god she was beautiful, like that first morning with her pink pajamas and messy hair. She would tell him to stop by later or promise to see him once she didn’t look “so horrendous”. But Klaus would just kiss her and wish her a good day.  
He would also kiss her goodnight after they closed their shops, but tonight it was different.  
They agreed to meet a little bit later, giving them a chance to go home and get ready.  
This was also the first time Klaus realized he didn’t own clothes that weren’t black, grey or white. Not that it really matter, but Caroline was a colorful girl. He found a dark blue Henley, hit the shower and shaved. And then spent about 15 minutes in front of the mirror trying to make his hair look good while making time –he was early-.   
He was a gentleman, and gentlemen bring flowers to their dates. But how do you bring flowers to a girl that owns a flower shop? Instead Klaus decided to give something more personal and drew her with a smile and holding lots of flowers.  
He made reservation at a fancy restaurant with a wonderful view of the Golden Gate Bridge, which at night is lighted up by the cars. Yes, he was doing his best effort to impress her. He even made sure to leave his car in a carwash all day for their big date.  
And he drove said car –even if he only lived a couple of blocks away from her- to pick her up.  
When Caroline opened the door, of course Klaus was speechless, she looked stunning, but not just that. She wore her hair up elegantly and make up lightly, but what caught his attention was her bright yellow dress –that was incredibly sexy- and white jacket. He saw the way she dressed for Enzo, but seeing her so bright and so… well, so Caroline, made him proud, and flattered too.  
“Hi.” She said with a big smile as she stepped out her apartment.  
“Hello love.” Klaus leaned and kissed her cheek. “You look amazing.”  
“Thanks. You look great in blue.”   
“I’ll buy more of these then.” He said running a hand down his Henley. Caroline laughed and started walking to his car with him.  
He opened the passenger door for her, obviously, and she thanked him by kissing his cheek. That would explain the goofy smile on his face on their way there.  
It didn’t last long though. They walked into the restaurant just to find out that there was a situation with the reservations and Klaus’ table wasn’t available.  
Klaus tried reasoning with the hostess and then the manager. He really tried to get a table. He refused to let his first date with Caroline to end this way. He was embarrassed and angry. But after a moment Caroline grabbed him by his arm and asked him to let her handle it.  
“Hi.” She said to the manager. To Klaus she sounded sweet, but the poor young hostess –who hid behind the manager- felt like she was facing the devil itself. “Since the romantic date this nice gentleman planned for tonight is ruined thanks to some mistake done by the restaurant’s staff, I’d like to get our dinner to go, on the house of course.” Before the manager could refuse, Caroline continued. “After all, what girl doesn’t share the details of her date with her friends? And my best friend happens to be Bonnie Bennet, who also happens to be a reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle.”  
That’s how they got lobster, a bottle of wine and a piece of chocolate cake –they decided they would share- for free.  
“I hope you don’t find me rude or anything.” Caroline said as they walked back to the car.  
“Are you joking? I think I was turned on for a moment there.” Klaus replied, which made Caroline laugh.   
Confidence is sexy, they say. Well she was the sexiest woman on the planet.  
“I’m sorry, love. I really wanted us to have a great first date.” Klaus said once they were inside the car. “Now we’re having take out.”  
“Awe don’t say that.” Caroline responded, her hand moving to his knee to comfort him, even though he found it really distracting. “We can still have a romantic dinner. Why don’t you park near the river? That way we can enjoy the view and make a picnic out of it.” She suggested.  
God, she was perfect.  
They found a spot by the river and sat on the hood of his car while eating the lobster.  
“So. First official date… And I say “official” because I count our night eating Tai as our first unofficial date.” Caroline said.  
“Yeah well at least we didn’t have to drink our wine from plastic cups we got at a gas station.” He commented making a face.  
“I’m good at getting what I want, but not THAT good.” Caroline replied. “Besides, this isn’t so bad. Look at the view.” She added while lifting her arms to the bridge. “It’s beautiful!”  
“I can name one thing that I find even more beautiful.” He said looking at her. She turned her head to look back at him and scoffed.  
“That was cheesy!”  
“But you like cheesy, don’t you?” Klaus asked with a smirk. Caroline looked around, her lips pouting as she was deep in a thought.  
“Yeah. I like cheesy.” They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, just smiling in silence. Then Caroline looked down to her lobster and continued. “As I was saying, first dates are good to get to know each other, so I was thinking we could ask each other questions.”  
“Like the 20 questions game?”  
“Yeah something like that.”  
“Alright. Ladies first.”  
Caroline took a moment to think a good question.  
“Why did you name your tattoo show “White Whale”?”  
“Opening my own shop was my very own Moby Dick. I met Stefan while we were both in college to get our degrees on Art, and we both wanted to be tattoo artists. We started working for a guy named Marcel Gerald at a place named The Cauldron. He was a terrible boss, payed barely enough to reach the end of the month. I told him I would open my own shop and he laughed. I didn’t want to depend on my parents’ money to make it, so I worked hard, I asked Stefan to be my partner and found a good spot to open the shop. Which as you know, is very well located.” He said with a wink. “It took time, money, sweat and hard work, but it was worth it.”  
“You know that Moby Dick doesn’t have a happy ending, right?” Caroline asked before taking another bite.  
“I know, but I was drunk with Stefan when we came up with the name and it stayed like that.” They both laughed and continued eating. “My turn now?”  
Caroline nodded.  
“How many dresses do you own?” Klaus asked. Caroline turned and looked at him funnily. “I’m serious, I’ve never seen you wear the same dress twice and I’ve known you for almost four months now.”  
Caroline laughed.  
“I didn’t think anyone would notice!” She giggled. “I don’t own that many, you would be surprise. My friend Katherine works for a clothing brand. She lets me take different dresses every week and then I return them. I only pay for them when I decide to keep them, because I either love them or for some reason I can’t return them. It’s a real money savior!”  
“This is a relief, I thought you were a shopaholic.” Klaus joked.  
“I’m surprised you even know that word.” She teased.  
“Rebekah is my sister, remember?” He replied, which made her laugh. He was on a roll that night!  
“Alright. Now, I know you’re a tattoo artist, but I haven’t seen any tattoos on you. I know Stefan has one.”  
“That’s not nice Caroline, not all tattoo artists are a stereotype.” Klaus said in a playful tone.  
“So you don’t have any tattoos?” She sounded almost disappointed.  
“I do. I have two.” He smirked.   
“Well, show me! I wanna see!”  
“Miss Forbes, are you trying to get me undressed?” Klaus asked while faking to be offended. She gave him an unimpressed look.  
“Yes, now take off your shirt!”   
Klaus laughed and jumped from the hood.  
“Am I supposed to dance too?”  
“I dunno, should I get my wallet?”  
They looked at each other and Caroline giggled nervously. Klaus faked a long, dramatic sigh and took his Henley off.  
“Habba habba!” Caroline said while clapping her hands. Klaus laughed and threw his Henley at her. “Now, tell me about your tattoos.”  
“Well, this one…” He pointed at the feather and birds on his shoulder. “I got it a while after the car accident. The feather covers a scar that I got from a broken glass.”  
“And the birds coming out of it?”  
Klaus moved to sit on the hood again.  
“When Henrik found out he wouldn’t walk again, he said “I guess I’ll learn to fly, then.” He was only nine and he was very innocent at the time. He did learn to fly, in his own way. I decided I would get a bird on my skin to remember that moment. And when I started working on it, one thing lead to another and I drew it the way you see it now.”   
“That’s so sweet of you.” Caroline said while placing her hand on his arm. “Damn! Do you work out?” She asked while squeezing his bicep. They both laughed at that. “But seriously, I see how much you care about Henrik and it makes me wish I wasn’t only child. It also shows me how sweet you are.” Klaus smiled shyly at that. “What about the other tattoo?”  
“This one.” He said turning to the other side so she could see the triangle on his back. “I got it when I was 16 and it’s the reason I love tattoos so much. I got it done with my two best mates in England, Leon and Matt. Having something that lasts forever representing the friendships that made me the man I am now means a lot to me. It was the perfect way of saying good bye when I moved to America.”  
“Did you stay in touch?”  
“We did for a while and when we started college, it stopped. But then this little thing called Facebook appeared and with that my two friends.”  
“That’s nice.” Caroline commented.  
“Yeah. I think I’ll write to them soon. Let them be jealous of my date.” He replied with a wink.  
“Oh boy! You would, wouldn’t you?” She giggled and handed him his Henley back. “Here, I don’t want you to get cold.”  
“Thank you ma’am.” Klaus said while taking in and then put it on.  
“Just so you know, that’s all the nudity you’ll see tonight.” She said with a little nod.  
“I wasn’t expecting anything more.” Klaus replied. “Ready for the chocolate cake?”  
“I thought you would never ask!” Caroline said dramatically. Klaus opened the container and handed her a plastic fork.  
“I have a question, I just don’t know if you have an specific answer.” Klaus said after a moment.  
“Try me.”  
“How come you’re always so happy and enthusiastic? Don’t get me wrong, I love that about you. It just seems like you went through a lot of hard things. I don’t know how you do it.”  
Caroline blushed a little when he said he loved that about her. She took a piece of cake, eat it slowly while thinking her answer –she moaned at the tasted and Klaus thought she was being a tease, because suddenly his pants felt a bit tighter.  
“I think I spent enough time being sad for a lifetime.” She said after a moment.  
“Of course, when you were sick. And then you got better….” Klaus said but stopped when Caroline started shaking her head.  
“No. When I got diagnosed I was scared. Maybe a little bit angry at life too, but mostly I was scared. I was sad when my parents got divorced, and that was before I got sick. I felt sad for months. And the second time was when I caught my boyfriend cheating.” She said with a sight. Klaus raised his eyebrows.   
Who would be stupid enough to cheat on her?  
“His name was Tyler. He was the first boyfriend I had since the surgery. I grew up with him but it wasn’t until his mom, the mayor’s wife, started doing these charity events for me and my treatment that I started having feelings for him. He was there for me the whole time and I felt like I could trust him. But a year after I caught him on top of a high school mate, Hayley.”  
“He’s an idiot for doing that to you Caroline.” Klaus said, his arm circling her shoulders to bring her closer.  
“Thanks. I spent a lot of time being sad over it and eventually the town I loved so much became a place too painful for me to live in. That’s when I decided to move away. The Gilbert twins, Katherine and Elena, who were my best friends since we wore diapers, offered me a place to stay until I got on my feet, and that’s when I promised myself I would stop being sad.”  
“I still can’t believe someone would cheat on you. Was he blind?”  
Caroline smiled sadly.  
“No, that was the problem… Maybe I didn’t take good care of his needs. After the reconstruction I felt ashamed of my body, I would barely let him touch me. And maybe it’s silly but I’ll always wonder if he cheated on me because I’m not… well… complete.”  
Klaus frowned.  
“What?” He jumped from the hood again so he could look at her better. “His needs? What about your needs? You’re as completed as any other woman. You might look a bit different but that doesn’t make you any less human.” He then took her hands. “Or any less beautiful.”  
He then remembered something and rushed to the car.  
“In fact.. I think you’re stunning.” He said handing her the drawing he made of her.  
She opened the folded paper and gasped when she saw the drawing.  
“Klaus… I… I don’t know what to say…”  
“Tell me you’ll never think like that and you’ll keep your promise to never be sad again. At least not over him.”  
Caroline looked at him for a moment and then nodded her head.  
“I promise.”  
Klaus smiled.  
“I don’t want you to feel that way around me either. I think you’re beautiful and a few scars won’t change that.”  
“It might take a while.” Caroline mumbled shyly.  
“I’ll wait.” Klaus said. “However long it takes.”  
Caroline bit her lower lip and looked down.  
“Please…” She whispered and Klaus realized she was about to cry. “… don’t break my heart.”  
He lifted her face by her chin and made her look at him.  
“Never, my sunflower.” He leaned to kiss her and she met him half way there. They kissed long and sweetly, arms wrapped around each other and holding tight. They only stopped when Caroline shivered in cold and decided to move their little make out session to the inside of his car. By the time he drove her home and kissed her goodnight, his lips were sore –and hers too, for what he could see-. But it was a good kind of pain.


	9. Chapter 9

Marcel Gerald is not a nice man. Ask anyone. He’s a though guy, or at least he thinks so, and he’d very much like to keep that reputation.  
“Thierry!” Marcel greeted while sitting on the stool next to the man. “Long time no see, pal. Where have you been?” The bar was quiet and almost empty. Perfect.  
“Marcel, hey… I know, I’ve been busy with my old lady, you know, the old ball and chain.” Thierry joked before downing his drink. Thierry was a musician and before he had a stable job he used to play outside Marcel’s shop.  
“Everybody at the shop misses you man. You need to come by and play again.” Marcel said to which Thierry nodded. “Maybe then we can talk about you going behind my back.” Marcel added. Thierry sighed, he knew this was coming.  
“Marcel…”  
Marcel caught Thierry’s wrist over the bar and lifted the sleeve, exposing a beautiful tattoo of a Charleston dancer. It looked so real, you could almost see her moving to the music.  
“This is new.” Marcel commented. “Who did it?”  
“Don’t do this…” Thierry begged.  
“Who did it?!”  
“Klaus.” Thierry replied. “Klaus did it.”  
Marcel punched the bar with his fist.  
“He’s stealing my costumers now?” Marcel roared. “First he leaves and take the other good artist I have with him, then wins contests and gets magazine articles published about his shop!”  
“Hey, pal!” The bartender called from behind the bar. “You either calm down or leave.”  
Marcel glared at him and got up to leave.  
“Oh I’m calm, alright? Just as calm as before the storm.”  
.  
“You poor little thing! You’re so brave! Too precious for this world!” Rebekah said while squeezing the air out of Caroline in a tight hug.  
“Rebekah, sweetie, I can’t breath!” Caroline said and Rebekah pulled back a little to look at her.  
“If there’s anything, ANYTHING, I can do for you, you let me know, alright?”  
“Bekah, Caroline isn’t dying.” Stefan said before turning to Caroline with a confused look on his face. “You’re not dying, right?”  
Caroline laughed. It took a lot of courage to gather Klaus’ friend and siblings and tell them about her disease. But now, while taking over a big booth at some old fashion dinner and having milkshakes, it didn’t look so terrible.  
“No, I’m fine. In fact, I’ve never been better.” She turned to look at the other side, where Klaus was sitting, and she smiled widely at him.  
Klaus smiled back and leaned to kiss her.  
“Alright, alright, this is a family place, keep it PG okay?” Kol said from across the table. Klaus glared at his brother, but Caroline giggled instead.  
They had questions for her, and she answered the best they could. She held Klaus’ hand most of the time and he would squeeze hers every now and then for reassurance.  
At the end of the night everyone went on their separate way, except for Klaus who walked Caroline to her apartment.  
“How are you feeling now?” He asked, his thumb caressing the back of her hand.  
“I feel good.” She replied. “Like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and now I feel more at ease around them. It was nice to see I have their support without them treating me any different.”  
“Of course they support you. I don’t think you realize how much you changed their lives.” He said as they walked up to her door.  
“And your life? Did I change it too?” She asked, looking at him through her lashes.  
“You did, and it was a good change.”  
Caroline smiled and stepped closer to him. He leaned and kissed her good night. But when he pulled back, Caroline held him close by his jacket.  
“Tonight has been really helpful, I feel like I can start accepting myself again, like I’m beautiful.” She whispered. Klaus nodded his head.  
“You are beautiful, Caroline.” He whispered back and watched her as she blushed and bit her lower lip.   
“Do you want to come inside and help me feel even more beautiful?”  
Klaus blinked a couple of times in surprise, but then he smirked.  
“When I’m done with you, you’ll feel like a goddess.”  
.  
Caroline stood in front of Klaus, who sat at the foot of her bed shirtless, his shoes and socks forgotten somewhere in the apartment along with Caroline’s high heels. A box of condoms laid carelessly on the bed and the only light there was came from some Christmas lights that hung over the headboard of her bed.   
The silence was charged with millions of words they didn’t voice. They didn’t say anything for a moment, they just looked at each other.  
“I’m a little bit nervous.” Caroline whispered.  
“I’m nervous too.” Klaus confessed which took her by surprise.   
“I’m afraid of how you’ll react or what you’ll think.”  
“You’ll never know until you give me a chance. But you have to be sure about this. I don’t want you to regret it later.”  
“I do want this. I think I’ll regret if I don’t.”  
She took a deep breath and anywhere but Klaus as she reached behind her back to unzip her dress. She let it fall to the ground and felt Klaus’ eyes on her as he looked her up and down. Then she reached to unclasp her bra and Klaus saw the way her hands trembled.  
“Look at me, Caroline.” He said. Caroline looked up him and stopped. She felt vulnerable and he knew it. He didn’t want her to get more nervous, but she needed to see it in his face, see it in his eyes that nothing would change. “It’s just you and me here and I want you to look at me.”  
Caroline unclasped her bra, her eyes never leaving his, and finally took it off.  
Klaus eyes traveled down to her chest and Caroline stood there awkwardly while waiting for a reaction.   
He understood the reasons behind her insecurities. The skin was smooth where there should be her nipples. There were the two little white scars, one on each breast. And both breasts were round and perky, maybe too much to pass for naturals.   
Indeed she looked different from other women. She was a survivor, and those were scars left from a battle she fought and won.  
He got up from the bed and stepped closer to her, his hands cupping her face and tilting it back so he could kiss her. The kiss was sweet and slow, and Klaus hoped it would clear any fear or doubt left in her. Caroline kissed him back and he felt her body relaxing on his chest. This was the reassurance she needed so much.  
After a moment her hands undid his pants and pushed them down along with his boxers. Klaus started walking backwards and then sat on the bed once again. He held her by her hips and looked up at her.  
“You…” He leaned and kissed her right breast. “… are…” Then kissed the left one. “… beautiful.”  
Caroline smiled and ran her hands through his hair while kneeling on the bed and straddling him. He reached for the box of condoms laying on the bed, took one and put it on. Caroline then scooted closer to him and pressed herself against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as he made it further into the bed and then rolled over, holding his weight on his elbows.  
The feeling of Klaus’ body on top of her made her sigh blissfully. He smiled softly at her and leaned to kiss her sweetly.  
Seconds passed, maybe a minute or two, before Klaus moved and Caroline felt him sinking inside her. She instinctively wrapped her legs around him and he reached for one of her hands, interlocking fingers with her and holding it by her head. Her other hand slid up his neck and then down his back and Klaus trembled at the touch.  
He moved back and forth in a slow, tender pace. As If making love wasn’t intimate enough, the way they looked at each other surely was. It could be scary at first, but then it became comforting.  
He kissed her lips, just as sweetly as before. Caroline moaned against his lips and closed her eyes. Klaus’ lips then traveled down her jawline to her neck, where he placed small, wet kisses. Caroline moaned again, her hand running up his back to his head, where she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his head closer to her.  
The air felt hot, their breaths turned heavy and noisy, their hands gripped each other like their lives depended on it.  
And then…  
…it felt like a meteor shower.  
.  
Marcel pushed the envelope on the table towards Diego. The young man picked it up, opened and took a quick look into the money in it.  
“So? Can you do it?” Marcel asked.  
Diego thought about it for a second and then nodded.  
“You got yourself a deal.”


	10. Chapter 10

Something soft caressed Caroline’s back and shoulder, pulling her from her deep slumber.  
“Wake up, sweetheart…” Klaus whispered before placing another kiss on her skin, this time on her neck. “I have to go, but I won’t until you give me a good morning kiss.”  
Caroline sighed happily and rolled on the bed so she could look at him better.  
“Then I won’t kiss you.”  
Klaus smiled.  
“I have to work love, and so do you.”  
Caroline rubbed her eyes and pouted cutely.  
“I can’t believe it’s Monday already. We haven’t left the apartment since Friday.”  
Indeed, after they made love for the first time they refused to leave the bed. The made love countless of times during the weekend, alternating by watching a movie, cooking, eating, or just laying on the bed talking. But now reality called and they had to leave their little love nest.  
“Well, I did promised you I would make you feel like a goddess so I hope more than 48 hours of worshiping does the trick.” Klaus joked. Caroline smiled, she really felt like he worshiped. Her, her body, her mind, everything. She knew by the way he looked at her, like she was the most important person in the world, or the way he touched her, so tender and carefully. I’d been so long since the last time she felt like that, and now she didn’t want to let go.  
She was also pretty sure her legs were too weak now for her to walk.  
“If I tell you that I don’t fill like a goddess will you stay 10 more minutes?” She asked with puppy dog eyes, her hand coming up to stroke his cheek. He melted at the sight and let out a sigh.  
“You’re killing me here sweetheart. And I doubt that 10 minutes is enough.” He added while wiggling his eyebrows. Caroline blushed and giggled.  
“Alright, but text me later, okay? I know Mondays are your special day with Henrik so I won’t see you but at least let me know when you’re home.”  
Klaus smiled at how sweet and caring she sounded.  
“I will, sweetheart.” He promised and only then she let him kiss her.  
.  
“I have a girlfriend.” Henrik suddenly said and Klaus stopped with his hamburger in mid air just as he was about to take a bite.  
“What?” Klaus managed to ask after coughing.  
“You seem surprised!” Henrik said laughing.  
“I’m not, I just didn’t see that coming.”  
“That’s the definition of surprise.” Henrik replied before popping some fries into his mouth.  
“Fine.” Klaus mumbled. “Soooo? Tell me about her.”  
“Her name is Monique and she has the most beautiful, big brown eyes ever.” Henrik replied.  
Klaus chuckled.  
“You sound pretty smitten for this girl. How did you two meet?”  
“Her best friend Davina is dating my friend Kaleb.”  
“I can’t believe it, my baby brother is dating already.” Klaus said proudly.  
Henrik didn’t look as cheerful.  
“I’m a little worried though. I’ve never dated a girl before and it I’m sure it’s hard enough as it is. Add the wheelchair and I don’t know what to expect.” Klaus nodded his head. He remembered how awkward things were when he was Henrik’s age, but he could never relate to what Henrik felt. “I can’t drive, I’ll never be able to take her to our dates. We went to a fair once and I couldn’t get in most of the rides. I feel like I’m missing a lot of things, I don’t want her to miss things too because of me.” He said sadly.  
“Maybe you’re seeing it the wrong way.” Klaus said. “Maybe she doesn’t think she’s missing things, but she’s getting to see and do other things with you.” He leaned closer to his little brother and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. “Don’t let this get in the way and don’t push her away. I know that trusting people can be scary, but she’s already your girlfriend so obviously she likes you just the way you are.  
Henrik nodded his head.  
“I guess you’re right…” He pursed his lips while thinking about it. “You’re very cheesy lately.” He then teased. Klaus chuckled lightly. “Maybe you’ve been spending a lot of time with Caroline?” Klaus grinned like an idiot and he couldn’t hide it from Henrik.  
“I spent the weekend with her.” Klaus confessed.  
“Gross!” Henrik said throwing a fry to his brother. “I don’t need to know that.” They laughed and after a moment Henrik asked. “Do you love her?”  
Klaus tried to say something but the words didn’t come out. Did he love her? He really liked her, he thought of her all the time, he worried whenever he had reasons to… but wasn’t it too soon for him to love her? Suddenly he was confused.  
“I think I do.”  
Henrik smiled at that.  
“Good.”  
.  
Just like Klaus and Henrik have their “bro time” every Monday, Wednesdays are “girls’ evening”. After closing the shop, Caroline reunites with her friends Katherine, Elena and Bonnie for a weekly-catch-up. This time sadly, Elena had to go to the Hospital where she did her residency and Bonnie had a very important interview for the San Francisco Chronicle.  
Katherine was working late too, forced to stay and wait for the arrival of new fabrics. But instead of canceling, she invited Caroline to have Chinese food in her office, which Caroline loved.  
And that’s how Caroline ended up owning a beautiful pair of Chanel boots that no one wanted because they were from ‘last season’.  
“They are glorious.” Caroline said with her feet up on Katherine’s desk, totally in love with the pair.  
“Their job is to make you feel like you’re the glorious one.” Katherine replied while poking her food with her chopsticks. “Imagine yourself wearing those… and nothing more.” She added while wiggling her eyebrows. Caroline laughed hard at that.  
“And get arrested for being an exhibitionist?” She joked.  
“Noooooo silly.” Katherine said. “That’s an ‘indoor’ outfit. You know, in case you decide you’re ready and want to surprise that boyfriend of yours.”  
At that, Caroline put her feet down and sat straight on the chair.  
“That’s something I was hoping to talk with you and the girls. But since they’re not here…”  
Katherine frowned and pointed at her friend with the chopsticks.  
“Oh no, don’t you dare keep me waiting for another week. What happened? Did you two break up?” She asked worriedly.  
“No!” Caroline replied quickly. “No, we’re doing fine. We’re doing great, actually.” She added shyly and sending a self explanatory look at Katherine.  
“Oh my God!” Katherine said. “Did you two have sex?!”  
Caroline blushed and nodded.  
“I decided I was ready last Friday.”  
“About time! You waited long enough! I mean, three years! I don’t know you did it!”  
Caroline shrugged.  
“I wasn’t able to trust anyone since Tyler. And remember Jesse? He freaked out and ran when he saw me topless. I didn’t wanna go through that again.”  
Katherine looked at her with empathy.  
“I know sweetie and I’m proud of you for overcoming your insecurities and getting back on the horse…”  
Both girls laughed at the meaning behind Katherine’s words and stopped when Katherine received a phone call letting her know that the fabrics where there.  
“I’ll go sign for the package and then we can go out for drinks, alright?” Katherine said before leaving the office.  
Caroline waited for her while keeping herself busy by reading some magazines. Katherine got a bunch of magazines sent to her freely every month so she could see where the ads for the clothing line had been placed, or to read the articles were it was mentioned.  
She was just flipping through some pages when she came across something that caught her attention.  
“Brest Cancer survivors get inked.”  
That was the title. And that was all she needed to read to get hooked.  
“Alright, you ready to go?” Katherine asked from the door and frowned then she saw the shock on her friend’s face. “What’s wrong?”  
“No-nothing.” Caroline stuttered while looking at what probably was the most beautiful picture she had ever seen. “Do you mind if I take this magazine with me?”  
Katherine leaned closer to see what Caroline was reading and when she saw the picture, she smiled.  
“You keep it, sweetie.”  
.  
“Bloody hell!” Klaus groaned while kicking the bed covers away and getting up. His doorbell kept buzzing at a very inconvenient hour. He walked to the communicator and pressed the button. “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing at my doorstep at one am?!”  
There was a silence.  
“Uh… it’s me.” Caroline said. “I’m sorry, I just needed to talk to you, but we can talk tomorrow.”  
Klaus’ eyes opened comically. Luckily for him no one was watching.  
“I’m so sorry sweetheart, come on in.” He pressed the button that unlocks the door to the building and he heard Caroline opening it.  
He opened the door to his apartment before she could knock and quickly pulled her in for a kiss.  
“Hey you…” Caroline whispered against his lips. “I’m sorry to bother you at such late hour, but I knew I wouldn’t be able sleep until we talked about it.”  
Klaus swallowed hard, he felt his world staring to crumble. Was she mad at him? About what? Was she breaking up with him? He took a breath and they sat on the couch together.  
“Is something bothering you?” He asked. “Because I’m sure we can work it out.”  
Caroline looked at him confused before letting out a laugh.  
“God no, everything is fine. I just wanted your opinion on something.” She took the magazine she kept in her purse and opened it on a page she had marked. Then she handed it to him and he took a long look.  
It was an article about breast cancer survivors that got tattoos after their treatments. Most of them were they emblematic pink ribbon, others had an inscription, some had both. But the page that Caroline marked had the best one yet.  
It was a black and white photograph of a woman’s torso. It looked like Caroline’s, since the breasts had been reconstructed with implants and had no nipples –clearly the woman went through a mastectomy herself-. She had flowers tattooed on both breasts, they came from her left armpit and her ribcage on her right side. It was probably made a really good tattoo artist since the level of detail was mind blowing and the flowers looked so real, it was like they came out of the skin.  
Klaus looked up from the magazine to his girlfriend. She was chewing her lower lip nervously.  
“I’m thinking about getting a tattoo, and I really like this one.” She said with her fingertip tapping the photo. “Remember when we met? We talked about what I should get if I ever decided to get one and we agreed it should be flowers because they mean something to me…”  
“A tattoo this big will take time, about six, seven hours. It would be done in two or three sessions, depending on how much pain you can tolerate. It might hurt even more on the scars. But if you’re sure about it, none of that will matter once it’s done.” He replied.  
Caroline nodded and went back to chewing her lip.  
“I want you to do it.” She said after a moment. “I wouldn’t trust any other artist and it would mean a lot to me. I would still pay you.” She assured him. Klaus smiled and got up from the couch. He took a big piece of paper and a pen.  
“Alright… Tell me exactly what you want.”  
They stayed up all night taking measures of Caroline’s torso, looking at pictures of flowers on the Internet and discussing the details. Caroline made coffee and then watched Klaus as he drew the flowers. To her, she looked incredible handsome when he was focused on the paper.  
By the time the sun came up –and both decided to skip work for the day- Caroline was excited and she bounced around Klaus’ apartment –something he found adorable-.  
And how could she not?  
Soon enough she would have flowers on her skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The picture Caroline saw in the magazine can be found in Google. All you have to do is google “Breast cancer survivor tattoo” and look for the black and white picture. That’s how I picture Caroline. I don’t know who the woman in the picture is, but I think she’s beautiful and brave.  
> I will also post it on my Tumblr acc, Marianita195  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW.


	11. Chapter 11

From: Klaus

_"_ _Hello love, I was wondering if you had any plans for tonight?_

 

From: Caroline

_"_ _Hey you! Not at all. Why?"_

 

From: Klaus

_"_ _I have something to show you, could you stop by the shop before going home?"_

 

From: Caroline

_"_ _Of course. Now I'm curious, can't wait!"_

 

From: Klaus

_"_ _It's a date then ;)"_

 

Klaus looked at the text he wrote and send… yes, he used emoticons now…

As they agreed, Caroline walked to the tattoo shop after closing the flower shop that night. Stefan and Kol, who were on their way out, bid her goodnight and left the young couple alone.

"Hey sweetheart." Klaus said softly while stepping closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest, his lips pecking hers. Caroline smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How was your day?"

"Uneventful." Caroline replied making a face. "I hope yours was better."

"It was okay." Klaus said with a shrug. "It's a lot better now." He added with a smirk. Caroline laughed and kissed him again, this time deeper and slower.

After a moment she stepped back and looked at him expectantly.

"Soooo what did you want to show me?"

Klaus took her hand and leaded her to his station. He opened a folder and showed her two drawings of flowers.

"These are the designs for your tattoo, this one goes on your left side." He said pointing one. "And the other on the right side."

Caroline looked at the designs in awe.

"They're beautiful." She whispered.

"Now, this will be on your skin so if there's any detail you wanna add or change, we can work on it. I just wanted you to have an idea of what the tattoo will look like."

"I love them!" Caroline said. "I think they're perfect the way they are." She turned towards him and smiled. "Thank you for doing this."

"It's my pleasure sweetheart." Klaus replied while smiling back. "I have something else I wanna show you." He took her hand and leaded her to the back. There he took a little box, opened it and took a paper from it. It took Caroline a second to realize that the box was filled with little flyers about breast cancer. "Stefan helped me to design them. We'll hand them over to the customers. I know tattoos have nothing to do with it, but it's for a good cause." Klaus explained while Caroline quickly scanned the flyer in her hand.

He then picked up a transparent box with a lock and a sigh saying "Your tip will be donated to help breast cancer patients."

Caroline scanned the box.

"You're donating your tips?" She asked confused.

"Yeah, I've seen these in drugstores, bars, banks, all for different causes and I thought it was a good idea. I heard that the Hospital needs money for a new mammogram." Klaus replied.

Caroline opened her eyes widely and threw her arms around Klaus' neck. She kissed him, hard and passionately, making Klaus drop the box back on the table. He put his now free hands on her waist and kissed her back.

When the kiss ended, Klaus watched as Caroline looked down and chewed her lower lip. It was a habit she had for whenever she felt nervous or hesitant. He knew something was in her mind, and when she looked up he saw her eyes were glassy.

He cupped her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"What's wrong?" He whispered. She shook her head a little.

"Nothing, everything is perfect. You're perfect." She replied softly. "No one ever did anything like this for me before. You're so sweet."

Klaus couldn't help but smile.

"Well, you deserve all this sweetheart…" He said tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Truth is, I'm in love with you."

Caroline's eyes opened widely. It was out and in the open, he was finally able to say it out loud. It took a lot of courage, but he did it. He loved her and now she knew it.

But just before Caroline could reply they heard the sound of a glass shattering. It sounded like it came from the front side of the shop. And then another glass breaking.

Both of them frowned and Klaus moved towards the door. He wasn't expecting what he saw next.

Fire.

The big windows on the front of the shop were smashed and someone threw two molotov cocktails inside.

"What the…" Klaus mumbled in shock. He moved to get the fire extinguisher when another cocktail was thrown inside. The flames were getting too high.

"We have to get out of here!" Caroline yelled from behind him.

Klaus took her hand and leaded her to the back of the building once again. There was a back door to an alley, but when he tried to open it, it didn't go far. Something blocked the door from the outside and they were trapped inside with the flames.

Klaus tried to think of another way out With the back of the building facing an alley, there weren't any big windows they could open, but only a small one, high on the wall to let just a little bit of light in. Klaus quickly pushed a table near the window and climbed on top of it. He tried breaking the glass with his fist but when that didn't work, Caroline handed him a hammer –yes, the very same hammer Stefan left on a shelf and she borrowed once-.

"Caroline, you go first." Klaus said holding out his hand for her to take.

"No." She shook her head. "You go and then you can catch me."

Klaus hesitated and looked out the window. It was a long way down and Caroline wore high heels. But he didn't want to leave her inside with the flames making their way to the back.

"Go!" Caroline said pushing towards the little window.

Klaus poked his head out the window and took a breath –the smoke started to accumulate across the ceiling and it was getting hard to breath. He climbed up the window and fell on the ground. That's when he saw the big trash container blocking the door.

"You okay?!" He head Caroline yelling.

"Yeah I'm fine, now you come out." Klaus replied while getting up and getting ready to catch her. But she didn't climb out the window…

Caroline looked at the table against the wall, then the window and then she looked around hesitantly.

"Caroline?!" Klaus called.

"Hang on!"

She rushed to the front and stopped when she saw that the flames were a lot higher and taking over most of the place, but then she continued. She rushed towards Klaus' station, grabbed the folder with the design for her tattoo and turned to the back just to see there was a fire alarm. It was close to the fire, but she ran around it and pulled the little handle. The alarm went off and water started raining from the sprinklers on the ceiling.

Klaus started to panic as he heard the alarm and Caroline was still inside. But then he saw something coming out of the window, it fell on the ground and then Caroline followed.

Klaus helped her get down the window.

"What were you doing?!" He asked with his hands shaking her by her shoulders.

"I couldn't let it get burn!" She yelled back and Klaus looked down to see the folder.

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"It's not worth your life." He said before pulling her against his chest. She smelled like smoke and she was wet because of the sprinklers, but that wasn't all.

"Ouch!" She hissed. Taking a step back and looking down she saw the small cuts on her arm and leg.

"You're bleeding!"

"It must've been the broken glasses around the window." Caroline replied.

How the hell did a perfect night turn in such a nightmare?

 

 

"We gotta stop meeting like this." Tom said to Caroline jokingly. It was the second time in two months that she found herself sitting on the back of an ambulance. This time she held an oxygen mask against her face while Tom bandaged her cuts.

Klaus, who sat next to her, had another mask for himself. He had to go through a long list of questions, both from the cops and the firemen.

The fire didn't reach the back of the building, and luckily it didn't compromise its integrity. But the chairs, the designs, the machines, everything was turned into ashes.

 

 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE WAS SOMEONE INSIDE?!" Marcel screamed.

"They weren't supposed to be there! I waited until the shop was closed, and I didn't see anyone inside, they were in the back!" Diego explained.

"They?!"

"Yes, Klaus and some blonde girl." Diego replied. Marcel grabbed him the neck of his shirt and pushed him against a wall.

"What blond girl? His sister Rebekah?" It was no secret that when Rebekah dumped Marcel's sorry ass for Stefan, Marcel's ego was badly bruised, but he never stopped loving her.

"No! No! The flowers girl!" Diego replied, not knowing Caroline's name. "Listen, you asked me to get rid of your competition, and I did."

"But I never said anything about getting people killed. That makes it an attempt of murder, we'll have the police on our asses!" Marcel said while letting go of Diego's shirt. "They will come after you first. If you open your mouth and tell them about our deal…"

"I won't." Diego said, but then he added. "If you pay me the double."

Marcel huffed. This was bad.

 

 

Days passed and Stefan and Klaus spent most of the time cleaning the tattoo shop. Replacing everything would take more money than they had -asking for money to Mikael and Esther wasn't an option- and the insurance wouldn't pay until they could prove they didn't set the place on fire themselves -apparently people would do desperate things during bad times just to get some money-.

Luckily the police wasn't far behind.

Two men wearing black suits stepped into the shop one day and asked which one was Klaus. When Klaus took a step ahead, both men showed them their badges.

"I'm detective Saltzman, this is detective Tanner. We're investigating the fire."

Klaus nodded his head.

"Did you find anything?"

"Yes. Does the name Diego Darville mean anything to you?" Tanner asked to Klaus, and then looked at Stefan. Both shook their heads.

"No, why? Did he do it?"

"We're not sure yet. But the cameras from the store across the street recorded the attack. The criminal left the scene in a car and the camera got a good look of the plate." Saltzman explained.

"We think this guy is either a terrible criminal, or an incredibly smart one and managed to look someone else guilty." Tanner continued.

"But then we got information from a witness. Darville was seeing talking to another tattoo artist, Marcellus Gerard."

Klaus and Stefan looked at each other in anger and shock.

"I take it you know that name." Tanner commented.

"He was our boss." Stefan said. "Before Klaus opened the place and I decided to work with him. Marcel hates us for leaving his business."

"We have the theory that Gerard and Darville plotted together to burn your shop and get you out of the business. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happens."

"I'm gonna kill that bastard." Klaus hissed.

"Mister Mikaelson, I assure you that won't help." Saltzman said. "Our men took Diego Darville under custody when he was at the bus station. Aparently he had intentions of leaving San Francisco. If we can crack him open and make him confess that Gerard is behind all this then the case will be solved and both will face a trial."

Klaus knew it then, his war against Marcel wasn't over like he thought. And he wouldn't care if it wasn't for the fact that this time Caroline got involved somehow. Marcel didn't just burn his shop and a second home, but he hurt the girl he loved.

 

 

_The wipers moved from one side to another, cleaning the windshield and making it possible to see in the heavy rain._

_He glanced to the review mirror and saw Henrik sitting on the back seat, talking lively about everything he did that day._

_Klaus looked back to the road and kept driving._

" _You didn't tell me."_

_Klaus turned to look at the passenger seat where the voice came from and found Caroline sitting there._

" _During dinner… you were thinking about it. About how I got hurt because of you. And you didn't say anything."_

_Klaus opened his mouth but for a moment nothing came out._

_The sound of a car honking made him turn back to the road and see a car heading towards them. Klaus quickly turned to wheel, trying to dodge the car. They left the road, the wheels sliding over the wet pavement._

_The car flipped and rolled many times until it was stopped by a huge tree._

_Lights flashed, sirens sounded, people ran around like crazy._

_He could hear the paramedics talking but he couldn't make any sense of what they're saying._

_He was laying on the grass, looking up at the rainy sky._

" _We need the saw here, the kid is trapped!" A man yelled._

" _He's unconscious!" Another voice yelled._

" _Male, 18 to 25 years olds. He has a concussion and possible a brain injury." A third voice said, this one felt a lot closer to him. "Also a superficial wound on his shoulder, there are still pieces of glass in it… I need scissors here!... The tissue around the torso is dark and feels soft. Possible broken ribs, they'll have to check for internal bleeding."_

" _I'm checking his pockets for a wallet, see if he has any ID."_

" _Henrik…" He whispered._

" _Sir? Can you hear me?"_

" _Niklaus Mikaelson. 20 years old. I'll get the radio and contact the parents."_

" _Henrik…" Klaus repeated._

" _He's still in the car. We're getting him out. Stay awake sir. Do NOT fall asleep."_

" _He's in bad shape, I'm afraid if we move him he might die." A voice far away said._

" _Bring the bed, quickly! He needs a hospital soon!"_

_Klaus turned his head and saw how the paramedics took Henrik's broken body out of the car and placed it on a stretcher._

" _Heart pace is slow, eyes aren't responding to the light…."_

_Unable to see what was happening once his brother was inside the ambulance, Klaus turned his head to the other side._

_Caroline lied a few feet away from him. Her body was on a weird angle, her head tilted back and facing Klaus, her bloody hair all spread on the grass._

_Suddenly she opened her eyes._

" _Your fault."_

Klaus woke up gasping on his bed.

It had been so long since he had a nightmare about the accident, he thought they were over.

Caroline's addition was something new.

He looked down to his right and saw Caroline sleeping heavily next to him. He also saw the bandages around her arm and leg.

He swallowed hard.

It was his fault.


	12. Chapter 12

"Alright, Miss Forbes, are you ready to see the suspects?" Detective Alaric Saltman asked.

Caroline turned her head to look at Klaus, who put his hand on her back for moral support, and then turned to the detective.

"I'm ready."

Alaric nodded his head and signaled to a guard with his hand.

They all turned to look through the window in front of them. The room on the other side was empty until the door opened and five men walked in. They all stood against the wall, facing the window.

Caroline took a deep breath and looked at their faces.

She knew it the second she laid eyes on him. It was like being back there, at the flower show, with a gun pointing at her. At first she told the cops she wasn't ready, but truth is she never would. At least now she could have some closure.

She went through a traumatic experience, that's true. But it didn't end that night. With the man that robbed her on the lose, she never felt safe. She would wake up in the middle of the night scared…

…except when Klaus shared her bed.

Klaus made her feel safe. Klaus' arms were her safe heaven.

So when she started to feel overwhelmed, she turned to him seeking for comfort. He wrapped his arms around her and let her hid her face against his neck.

"Number 4. That's the guy." She said softly.

Alaric sighed.

"I was afraid you would say that. Please follow me."

Caroline and Klaus followed him to another room where they could talk calmly.

"Suspect number 4 is Diego Darville, also suspected of burning Mister Mikaelson's tattoo shop."

Klaus leaned on the table.

"What?"

"Mister Darville has gambling problems and debts all around town."

"That's why he robbed the flower shop." Caroline mumbled. "Gambling debts."

"When we were investigating the fire we found a gun in his possessions. We ran the details in the computer and one match came up. The bullet fired during the robbery at the flower shop. We came to the conclusion that Darville is involved on both crimes. His history with gambling and money lead us to believe that Mister Gerard payed him to burn the tattoo shop, but we still need more prof, maybe a confession but Mister Darville isn't cooperating." Alaric explained.

Caroline reached to hold Klaus' hand over the table.

"So unless Diego talks, Marcel will stay free? What if he tries to go after Klaus again?" She asked scared.

"We won't let that happen." Alaric assured her.

Klaus gave Caroline's hand a gentle squeeze. He knew what he had to do.

.

"Son of a bitch!" Marcel hissed as he rubbed his sore jaw right after Klaus punched him hard with his right fist while he exited his tattoo shop.

"That's for setting my shop in fire." Klaus said. "And this is for almost getting my girlfriend killed in it!" He added before throwing another punch. Marcel stumbled backwards and fell on the ground. He quickly got up, fearing that Klaus would kick him while he was down.

"Okay! Okay! Enough!" He said while lifting his hands. "Calm down!" Klaus huffed, he had a killer look in his eyes. "No one was supposed to be there." Marcel explained. "No one was meant to die, I just wanted to scare you, I just wanted to get you out of business."

"So you admit it." Klaus said. "You payed Diego to set the place on fire."

Marcel dropped his hands and sighed.

"I just wanted to scare you." Marcel repeated with a nod.

"Say it." Klaus demanded.

"I payed Diego to destroy your shop-"

Klaus growled and ran towards him. He tackled Marcel to the ground and they rolled on the floor while fighting.

They punched and kicked each other. When they managed to stand up, they were both hurt and exhausted.

"This ends now." Klaus said, his fists still high in the air in case he had to defend himself. "It's been years Marcel, let it go."

Marcel huffed, but he didn't reply. Instead he walked back inside.

Klaus walked to his car and got on the passenger's side.

"Here." Thierry, who sat on the driver's seat, said while handing Klaus an ice pack. Klaus took it and place it on his now bruised eye.

"Thanks. You got it?"

"Yeah." Thierry nodded lifting the camera. "Only the confession, nothing more, nothing less."

"Good."

"It's the least I could do. Now what?"

"Now we take it to the police station."

.

Caroline stared in shock at the image she found when she opened the door.

"Oh my god, what happened?!" She asked as she let Klaus into her apartment.

"I had a lovely encounter with Marcel." Klaus replied.

"What?! Klaus, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about killing the bastard but he's not worth that time in jail." He replied while sitting down on her couch.

Caroline frowned.

"That's not funny." She went to get some cotton, alcohol and gauze to take care of his cuts. But when she sat down next to him, he got up and walked around the coffee table, away from her.

"We need to talk." He started. Caroline blinked a couple of times in surprise, she knew those words were bad news. "I can't continue dating you."

Caroline dropped the bottle of alcohol she was holding and it rolled on the floor.

"What?... why?"

Klaus sighed.

"Because bad things happen to the people I love. And it's always my fault." He explained. "First the car accident with Henrik…"

"That was an accident, you just said it yourself…" Caroline interrupted, but Klaus continued talking.

"… then you were in a fire. You could've died."

"So did you!"

"Did you know that Marcel dated Rebekah?" He asked. "I introduced them years ago and by the time he was done with her she was so damaged, God knows what would've happen if she hadn't met Stefan." He sighed and rubbed his face. "I told myself I wouldn't let him hurt me or anyone I love ever again, I quit my job at The Cauldron and stayed the hell away from him."

"And you did the right thing." Caroline assured him. "The guy is insane!"

"But I failed, don't you see?!" Klaus exclaimed in exasperation. "You were in a fire, because of me."

Caroline shook her head.

"No. Don't you dare blame yourself for this. Or for any other bad thing." She got up and walked towards him, but Klaus stepped away from her. "Accidents happen. Life happens!"

"You shouldn't have been there that night."

"Yes I did! Because that's what where you were!"

Klaus shook his head.

"I'm not changing my mind." He assured her.

Caroline looked at him hurt.

"So… you lied?" She asked softly. "When you said you loved me? Or when you promised me you wouldn't break my heart?"

Klaus shook his head.

"I didn't know then."

"Know what?"

"That I get the people I love hurt."

Caroline groaned and ran her hands through her hair.

"You're crazy! You couldn't have known there would be a fire!"

Klaus didn't say anything for a moment, he just turned and made his way to the stairs.

"This hurts a lot more!" Caroline suddenly said, making him stop. "You, breaking my heart. It hurts more than a few cuts with a broken glass, or coughing due the smoke." She continued. Klaus swallowed hard. This hurt him too. "Hell, it hurts even more than anything I ever felt." She shook her head and they stood in silence for a moment. When Caroline spoke again, it was slow and softly. "Please, don't leave. You said you love me… I love y-"

"Don't." Klaus interrupted her. "Don't say it." He knew that if he ever heard her say those words, he wouldn't be strong enough to leave.

"Klaus…" Caroline sighed.

"I'm sorry. I can't do it." He said and rushed to the door.

"Don't go!" She begged, but Klaus was on his way down to the door and left before she could stop him.

Caroline's heart broke right there, making her feel weak with a weight on her chest that didn't let her breath. Her legs gave into the pain and dropped her on the floor.

"Don't go." She repeated crying.


	13. Chapter 13

“Marcellus Gerard, you’re under arrest. You’re being charged with being involved in the Mikaelson’s White Whale Tattoo’s fire. You have the right to keep silence. Everything you say can and will be used against you in court. You have the right to have an attorney. If you can’t pay one the State will provide you one…”  
Marcel sighed as a police officer tugged his hands behind his back and cuffed him. He was in trouble and he knew it.  
.  
Things had been awful awkward since Klaus broke up with Caroline. Everyone tried to change Klaus’ mind, and with good reason because he looked miserable since that night a week ago. But he wouldn’t listen and fights started to happen when they pushed Klaus into talking.  
That’s why Stefan sat at his station glancing at his friend worriedly while Klaus focused on getting the shop ready for reopening -something he obviously did to keep himself distracted-. Stefan didn’t like the dark circles that formed around Klaus’ eyes, or how his hair stuck up due the several times he ran his hands through it in desperation. He kept groaning in frustration and tossing some bad drawings and designs, his muse clearly gone.   
“Tell me again why you broke up with her.” He asked.  
Klaus groaned with his head resting on the table.  
“Not now, Stefan.”  
“It can’t be a good reason, because then you would be relieve instead of looking as shitty as you do.”  
“Thanks.” Klaus mumbled sarcastically. Stefan got up, walked to Klaus station and sat down in front of Klaus’ desk.  
“It wasn’t your fault. Marcel did something stupid and now he’s paying for it. You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact I think you saved her life.” He pursed his lips. “You also broke a perfectly good window, but you saved her life.”  
Once again Klaus ran his hands through his hair.  
“This one time we were lucky. And I’m never lucky. It’s like I’m a bad luck charm or something.”  
Stefan rolled his eyes.  
“You can’t be serious.”  
“Look at Henrik! Look what I did to my baby brother!”  
“That was an accident.”  
Klaus shook his head.  
“She’s better off without me.”  
“Since when do you believe in luck?” Stefan asked, but Klaus just shrugged.  
Stefan knew then that Klaus was scared, terrified even, of losing someone he loved. He was condemning himself thinking he wasn’t meant to love anyone and that no one should love him back.  
“Let’s call it a day and go home.” Klaus said.   
They locked the place and bid each other goodnight. Stefan made a turn around the alley to drop a bag into the trash container when he heard something. He walked around the container and found Caroline sitting on the ground, crying.  
“Caroline, hey…” He said softly. Caroline was startled for a second and she quickly dried her face before looking at him.  
“Hi, Stefan. How’s the shop looking?”  
“It’s okay…” He mumbled. “Rough day?”  
“Rough week.” Caroline replied before blowing her nose into a tissue. Stefan sat next to her and patted her back. She didn’t look like the same Caroline he knew. Her light was gone, she looked pale without her make up, she wore jeans and a gray sweater instead of her usual flowery dresses, her hair was up in a messy hair and Stefan couldn’t help but wonder when was the last time she ate.  
“We got good news today, the police has Marcel under custody, and he’ll be going to court soon. It looks like Klaus’ plan worked.” Stefan said.  
“That’s good.” She whispered with a nod of her head. After a moment Caroline looked at him shyly. “How is he?”  
Stefan sighed.  
“He’s a mess. I don’t think he’s gotten a full night of sleep since the fire.”  
“I don’t get it then…” Caroline mumbled confused. “We were doing so well. I really didn’t see this coming. I thought he loved me.” She said, her voice breaking.  
“And he does. That’s the problem.” Stefan said and Caroline looked at him confused. “I think he really believes he gets people hurt, and he loves you so much that he rather lose you than get you hurt.” He explained.  
“He’s the one doing all the hurting.” Caroline mumbled. Stefan felt bad for her.   
“He doesn’t see it that way, my guess is that he’s thinking in the long run.”  
Caroline snorted.  
“I can’t imagine what a week from now will be like, never the less the long run.” They sat there in silence and eventually Caroline started to get up. “I should go back to the store…”  
“Are you sure? I think you could use some rest. Maybe Matt can handle it?” Stefan suggested.  
Caroline pursed her lips while thinking about it. She felt exhausted and going home early sounded like a good idea.  
“I guess so…”  
“Great!” Stefan said quickly. “I’ll talk to Matt, don’t worry about it.” He walked her around the alley to her apartment.   
“Thank you Stefan.” She said softly. “For everything.”  
Stefan smiled slightly and pulled her in for a hug.  
“What are friends for, right?” When Caroline stepped back and turned to the door, Stefan asked “Will you be alright?”  
“Yeah.” She replied, not convincing at all. “I have to be.”  
Stefan watched as Caroline walked into the building and sighed. She looked like she shouldn’t be alone, like she could use a friend.  
With an idea formed in his mind he rushed to the flower shop to talk to Matt.  
“Hey, Stefan!” Matt said while moving some flowers into the coolers.  
“Hello. I’m just passing by to tell you I ran into Caroline outside and she decided to call it a night. Do you think you could close the shop tonight?”  
“Sure, no problem. I’m actually relieved, she’s going through a really hard time.” Matt said with a frown.  
“I know, which is why I was wondering if you have the phone numbers of her friends.” Stefan said and Matt nodded his head.  
“Yeah I have them, what do you need them for?”  
“Well, I have an idea.”  
.  
Marianne’s heart broke as she found about Willoughby’s engagement with someone else and Caroline sighed for the tenth time as she watched it happening in her laptop. Any other day Austen’s stories would cheer her up, but that night she felt like she was punishing herself. The bucket of ice cream she ate wasn’t helping either.  
The doorbell rang and she groaned. She was nowhere decent enough to open the door, since her eyes and nose were red and she wore old and ugly pjs. But the doorbell rang again and she remembered she ordered a pizza earlier –she thought she could eat until it killed her-.  
When she opened the door she found Stefan there.  
“Hey, what’s going on?”  
“I was worried about you.” He replied.  
“I told you I’m fine.” She said softly.  
“Okay, but just in case, I uh… I brought some back up.” He stepped aside from the door and Caroline saw Bonnie, Elena, Katherine and Rebekah standing there.  
“We’re gonna slumber.” Elena said.  
“Yeah, we haven’t done it in ages.” Bonnie added.  
Caroline let out a little laugh mixed with a sob as her friends stepped in and wrapped her in a big hug.  
.  
“This is starting to get ridiculous.” Kol exclaimed. “The other day I made at least fifteen dirty jokes and he didn’t get mad or threaten me, not once!” He groaned.  
“It’s like the lights are on but none’s home.” Stefan said.  
“Caroline isn’t any better. She wakes up in the middle of the night, shaking and crying.” Rebekah commented. “Running into him almost everyday isn’t helping either.”  
“They need to get back together.” Henrik said. “They were happy when they were dating. We have to do something.”  
“I’m not sure it’s our place to do something.” Stefan said. “I think we should help them move on, if that’s what they really want.”  
Everyone looked at Stefan and then Kol turned to Rebekah.  
“I’m sorry, who invited him?”  
Rebekah rolled her eyes.  
“He’s Nik’s best friend. He only wants the best for him.”  
“May I have a word?” A voice asked. Everyone sitting around the table turned to look at the laptop where Elijah’s face was.   
“Go on, ‘Lijah…” Henrik said.  
“Even if you can’t get the two of them back together, there is one thing you can do, and at this point I think it’s something Niklaus needs.” Elijah started. “Obviously he never forgave himself for the accident, and he still blames himself for Henrik’s condition, which is stopping him from having a happy life and a healthy relationship with the woman he loves.”   
“What should we do then?” Rebekah asked worriedly.  
“You? Nothing.” Elijah replied. “But perhaps there’s something Henrik can do.”  
“I already tried talking to him, but he won’t listen.” Henrik complained.  
“I don’t mean to put this kind of pressure on you Henrik. Niklaus is a grown man and if we can’t change his mind then it’s not our fault. I’m merely suggesting you try talking to him again. You’re a smart kid, you’ll figure something out.”  
“Elijah is right, if Nik is listening one of us, that’s you.” Kol commented. “It’s your opinion the one he values the most.”  
Henrik sighed and nodded.  
“If that’s true, then I think I know how to make him listen.”  
.  
Monday came and Klaus was glad. He was looking up to spending some time with his little brother. Some time playing videogames and watching some funny videos on YouTube sounded great after a couple of crappy weeks. Too bad Henrik wasn’t old enough to drink, the only thing missing was a couple of beers.  
He walked into the game room holding a bag of junk food and smiled softly at Henrik.  
“Hello little brother.” He greeted. “Ready to get your ass kicked in Mario Kart and pig out with food that might give me a heart attack?” he asked while sitting down on the couch.  
“I’m not really in the mood.” Henrik replied. Klaus frowned, seeing his brother roll his wheelchair away.  
“Something wrong?” Klaus asked.  
“I’m mad at you.” Henrik replied. “And I don’t feel like playing with someone I’m mad at.”  
Klaus frowned again. His little brother was mad at him, as if the last two weeks were hard enough.  
“You’re mad at me? Why? What did I do to make you mad?”  
“You’re being stupid.”   
Now Klaus was completely lost. He moved on the couch to sit closer to Henrik.  
“What?”  
“You’re not following your own advice. Remember when I told you I had a girlfriend for the first time.” Klaus nodded. “I was worried and insecure and you told me not to push her away. And now you’re doing the same with Caroline.”  
Klaus sighed.  
“That’s different.”  
“No, it’s not.” Henrik said shaking his head. “We all have insecurities, but you can’t let them ruin your relationship, no matter what they are.” He made a pause so Klaus could process it. “Besides, you were so happy with her, why ruin that over a silly fear?”  
“Silly fear? You’re on a wheelchair!” Klaus protested.  
“But that wasn’t your fault. It was the drunk driver’s and mine.”  
“Yours? What are you talking about?” Klaus asked confused. Henrik frowned.  
“How much do you remember of that day?”  
Klaus took a moment. The accident, the whole day actually was just a blur.  
“I remember a car coming our way and I had to turn the car away quickly… it was raining so the road was wet…”  
“Before that.” Henrik interrupted.  
“We were going home that’s all…”  
Henrik stared in astonishment.  
“You don’t remember.” He sighed. “I had a birthday party that day, it was a sleep over but that night there was a storm and I got scared so I called you to pick me up.” Klaus started remembering as Henrik spoke.   
.  
“Is mommy mad?” a ten years old Henrik asked from the back seat.  
“Why would she?” Klaus asked with a frown as he drove.  
“Because I got scared.” Henrik mumbled.  
“Everyone is afraid of something, no one is mad at you. Did you at least have have fun?” Klaus asked.  
Henrik nodded.  
“Yeah, Kaleb’s mom hired a magician. He pulled a rabbit out of a hat and he let us pet it and feed it.”  
Klaus smiled, proud of himself for distracting and cheering his brother up. But it didn’t last long. While Henrik talked about the birthday party, a lightening stroke. Henrik stopped talking and started crying instead. Klaus frowned and turned to look at him.  
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, don’t cry. I’m here. The lightenings can’t hurt you.”  
He reached behind the passenger seat to hold Henrik’s hand. By the time he turned to look back at the road he realized a car drove on the wrong side of the road and towards them. Klaus quickly turned the wheel, pretty much as a reflex, driving the car out of the road.  
.  
Klaus’ mouth hung open as he remembered that night.  
“The accident happen because I distracted you. If I hadn’t been so scared you wouldn’t have turned away from the road.”  
“You were just a kid.” Klaus protested.  
“So were you.” Henrik said, making Klaus frown. “You were just 20 years old, trying to be a good big brother.”  
“It’s not your fault.” Klaus insisted.  
“It’s not your fault either. The way I see it, we can continue blaming ourselves and ruin our lives or we can forgive ourselves, and each other and move on. If you don’t let go, I’ll stay mad at you and I’ll stop hanging out with you.” Henrik promised. Klaus didn’t want that, he loved his special Mondays with his little brother.  
After a moment of silence, Henrik reached for an envelope on a table and handed it to him.  
“What’s this?”  
“A letter, from the drunk driver.” Henrik replied.  
“What?” Klaus asked surprised.  
“He wrote me when I was in the hospital to apologize. I think he felt so guilty he was looking for some forgiveness himself.”  
Klaus looked down to the letter. He couldn’t believe it.  
“I told him I would forgive him if he joined AA. Elijah’s idea, not mine.”  
“Of course.” Klaus said with a little smirk, he wasn’t impressed with his big brother’s wisdom.  
“And he did, he’s been sober for 5 years.”  
Klaus nodded his head.  
“Impressive, but that doesn’t get you out of that wheelchair.”  
“Breaking up with Caroline won’t do it either.” Henrik replied, which was something he wasn’t expecting.  
“When did you get so mature?” Klaus asked proudly. Henrik then smirked and shrugged.  
“Well… I stopped being a virgin two weeks ago.”  
Klaus flipped his hands in the air.  
“JESUS! A new record!”


	14. Chapter 14

Caroline checked her watch again. It was still early of course. It was her own fault for arriving to the coffee place half an hour earlier. But when your ex-boyfriend texts you telling you to meet him somewhere to talk, wouldn’t you be nervous too? It’s been three weeks since he broke up with her and it’s been hard for her. Caroline was afraid of not being ready to face him just yet.  
She barely slept the night before, her brain too busy imagining the many possible scenarios she could face the next morning ever since she got that text. Did he want to talk about her tattoo? Was she still even considering it? How would she tell him she didn’t want it anymore without sounding like she wasn’t over him? Or maybe he wanted them to get back together. Did she want that too? Yes. But if that wasn’t it?... Caroline spent the night rolling on her bed, groaning in frustration. She hated not knowing, and having no right answers frustrated her.  
She took extra time getting ready that morning. If she was about to get her heart broken –again- might as well do it while looking fabulous. She still didn’t feel like wearing her usual dresses –to be fair, the weather was getting too cool for that- but her perfectly curled hair and nicely done make up would make it up for the jeans and sweater.  
Her fingertips tapped nervously the hem of her cup. It was 9:49 and Klaus asked her to meet him at 10am. With each time she looked at her watch, she felt more and more nervous. She realized then that her coffee probably wasn’t helping. She was so nervous she woke up at 6am… and it was a Saturday!  
Glancing out the window Caroline spotted Klaus walking towards the coffee shop. He was talking even though he was alone. Just as he was about to reach for the door handle, he turned around and walked away. Caroline frowned and watched him pace back and forth on the side walk, still talking to himself.  
Was he nervous? Caroline wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or not. He seemed to be reassuring himself and Caroline had to admit he was cute when he was nervous.  
After a moment Klaus finally waked into the café and looked around for her. She waved her hand and saw how Klaus’ face lit up at the sight of her.   
He walked to her table and smiled. Caroline had to take a breath to calm herself down, her heart skipping beats when she saw those dimples on her face.  
“Good morning, love. May I?” Klaus greeted pointing at the chair in front of her.  
“Morning.” She said with a nod and watched him sitting on the chair.  
“Thanks for meeting me here.” He said.  
“No problem.”  
The waitress walked by the table and took Klaus’ order.  
“Sorry, I started without you.” Caroline said lifting her cup.  
“That’s alright love.”  
Ugh, why did he have to call her that? She wanted to grab him by the neck and kiss him!  
“So, how you been?” Klaus asked.   
What was she supposed to say?   
Oh, you know, terrible! The last three weeks I felt like someone had a hand wrapped around my heart, squeezing and pulling. The pain is so big I can’t breath, I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. I wake up in the middle of the night crying and gasping for air. All my insecurities concerning my body have returned and I reached to the conclusion that no one will ever love me and I’ll die alone. But enough about me! Are you suffering as much as I am?  
No, she couldn’t say that.  
“I’m okay.” She said with a shrug. “A little nervous, this will be my first winter with the flower shop. I’m afraid that the weather will affect the flower and bring down the sales. I’m thinking about expending the business.”  
“How come?”  
“By selling also chocolate boxes and breakfast trays.”  
The waitress brought Klaus’ tea and cookie –yes, cookie- to the table.  
“Sounds like you have it figured out. I’m sure you’ll do great.”  
“Thanks. What about you? How’s the tattoo shop going?” She asked.  
“It’s going really well, we had the chance to remodel the place, we went for a more vintage look this time. The seats are steampunk looking.”  
“That must look pretty cool.”   
“Yeah, Stefan designed them.” Klaus said with a smile.  
They sat there for a moment in silence, quietly sipping their cups. Caroline noticed how Klaus’ fingers shaking on the table. She waited for him to say something, but she never liked silence and it was starting to make her uncomfortable so she decided to speak up.  
“You asked me to meet you here and it sounded important. What did you wanna talk about?”  
Klaus shifted on his sit and opened his mouth a few times but he didn’t talk. Caroline felt like she was inside a sitcom and Klaus was Chandler Bing in an awkward moment.  
After a few failed attempts, Klaus huffed in frustration, so Caroline decided to give him a little push.  
“Klaus?” she called softly. Klaus looked at her shyly through the lashes, like a scared puppy. Could this guy get more adorable? She wanted to squeeze him. “Is this about us?” she asked with her hand moving back and forth between them.  
“Yes.” Klaus replied lowly with a nod. She wanted to ask if he was trying to get them back together, but in case she was wrong she wanted to save herself from the embarrassment.  
“Are you worried about something? Marcel, perhaps?”  
“Not exactly. No.”  
“Are you… mad at me for something?” She asked.  
“No.” Klaus replied, this time louder and with conviction.  
“Is it about the tattoo? Because I’m not sure this is the right time to get one.”  
Klaus shook his head again.  
“No. It’s your body and your skin, I would never pressure you into doing something like that.”  
Caroline nodded.  
“Alright. Well then… tell me.”  
Klaus suddenly felt his mouth dry. He licked his lips and quickly finished the remaining of tea in his cup.  
“Okay. Alright…” He mumbled more to himself. “Here’s the thing. I’ve been thinking and… well, no.” He interrupted himself. “It didn’t take a lot of thinking to realize that I hurt you. I know I did something wrong. I thought I was protecting you. The idea of you getting caught in the middle of a war between Marcel and I gave me nightmares.” Caroline frowned. She had no idea about that. “You know about Henrik and the accident, and I still feel guilty about it. For years I had nightmares about that night. They decreased with time. The more time I spent with Henrik, the better I got. But it’s something I will always live with, a weight I’ll always carry on my shoulders.” Caroline wanted to stop him, to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, but she knew he wouldn’t listen, so she let him continue. “Henrik is now on a wheelchair and I feel like I’ve ruined his life. I didn’t want to ruin yours too. I guess in a way I was being selfish because if something ever happened to you I knew I wouldn’t be able to carry so much guilt. Getting you hurt would kill me.” Klaus stopped to take a breath and he looked down to his shaky hands on the table.  
“Why are you telling me all this now?” She asked softly  
“Because that’s when I started thinking. I had a long talk with Henrik that helped me see things differently. Accidents happen and yes, they’re tragic and terrible, but people move on. It wasn’t the car accident that made me miserable, it was the guilt. A guilt that was perhaps misplaced. And the fire was a terrible thing as well, but Stefan and I are working on getting the shop ready, no one got badly hurt, no one died, and Marcel and Diego are getting what they deserve. The fire isn’t the reason why I’m so miserable. I’m guilty of ruining my own happiness because I pushed you away, and for that I’m sorry.”  
Caroline nodded her head and once again they sat in silence until she couldn’t take it anymore.  
“I understand everything you said, and I hope find a way to move on from all that guilt. But I still don’t understand why you’re telling me all this.”  
Klaus knew he was dancing around the real subject. He explained everything he thought she needed to know, now it was time to lay his cards on the table. He hated it, he felt so vulnerable and he hated that. But looking at her, sitting in front of him, looking so beautiful, he decided she was worth it. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard.  
“I’m telling you all this because I’m hoping you can forgive me and give me a second chance.”  
Caroline tried not to pay any attention at the strong, fast pace of her heart, but it was hard to because suddenly she felt dizzy. He was asking her for a second chance and she was happy to hear that, but at the same time she felt terrified.  
“I can forgive you and I do.” She started, her eyes looking down, away from him.  
“But you don’t want to date me.” He concluded with a sigh.  
“That’s not what I said.” She corrected him. “Right now there’s nothing I want more than being with you.” Klaus frowned and looked at her confused. “I fell for you, really I did. It wasn’t just because of who you are, but because of how I feel when I’m with you. I loved you, but more importantly I learned to love myself again, something I haven’t done in a really long time. I could only do so because you made me feel like I was worth being loved.”  
“And you are.” He agreed quickly.  
Caroline nodded.  
“And now that I love myself and have a newly found self respect… well, I think I deserve better.” She saw how Klaus’ face dropped when her words started sinking in. “One of the many things I loved about you is that you made me feel safe. And right now you don’t make feel that. To be honest, I’m really scared. I’m scared you’ll hurt me again. I should be more scared of never loving again, but I’m not. Because I know I will and I have you to thank for that.”  
For a moment Caroline watched Klaus while he processed everything she said. He looked like he was trying to figure out what to say next to change her mind. But instead he surprised her.  
“I’m happy for you, Caroline. You’re right, you should love yourself and be with someone who deserves you.”  
Caroline smiled, both relieved by his reaction and happy to know he cared that much.  
“Friends, then?” He asked after a moment and she nodded.  
“Friends.”


	15. Chapter 15

“Friends, then?”  
“Friends.”  
They could hardly be called friends. Caroline kept her distance, which says a lot considering she was an extremely friendly person, and Klaus didn’t do much about it.  
Truth be told, he was relieved. He still wanted them to be more than friends but he understood he had to accept her wishes. The only problem was that becoming her friend so quickly after he asked for a second chance was impossible. He still loved her and he hardly could keep things between them platonic.   
He needed to move on first. How? He had no clue. And to be honest, he didn’t want to move on.  
They were still friendly enough. They talked almost every morning and Caroline was incredibly supportive when it came down to fix the tattoo shop. It pained Klaus how easy it seemed for her to be his friend, when he truly wanted something more.  
At least he could say he learned a lot from this experience. He worked on the guilt he felt, and he reflected on what Caroline said about him making her feel safe at first and then scared. Until then he had no idea how much impact he had on her life. Surely he knew he made her feel appreciated and beautiful, specially after dealing with body image issues and a cheating boyfriend, but it ran deeper than that. He screwed it up, ruining things not just for himself but for her too and he had no one else to blame but himself.  
As fate would have it, what Caroline needed at the time was a friend.  
The phone rang four or five times before Klaus could pick it up. He spent the day before painting the shop and now his body was sore. He was so tired he fell into a deep sleep that night. So when the phone rang he barely managed to stretch out his arm –groaning as the muscles ached- and picked up the phone laying on his bedside table.  
“Hello?” he mumbled sleepily.  
“Klaus…” A soft voice said on the other side. He glanced at the digital alarm clock on the table and saw it was 6:30 in the morning.  
“Caroline?” He asked.  
“I’m scared.” She cried.  
Those words put Klaus alert. He sat up on the bed, forcing himself to stay awake.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“Can you please come here?” She asked.  
“Of course, I’ll be there soon.” He kicked the covers away and jumped out of bed. He threw on the first clothes he could find and practically jogged to Caroline’s apartment. He tried not to dwell on how scared and broken she sounded on the phone before he got there because he knew he would only worry more. But he just couldn’t stop thinking about her voice and how it made him sick in the stomach.  
He rang the doorbell and Caroline opened the door without making him wait long. She wore a pink fluffy bathrobe and her hair was wet and messy. Her nose was red and her eyes were glassy, so Klaus knew she had been crying.  
“Thank you for coming so fast.” She said while stepping aside so he could walk in.  
“Not as fast as I wanted. I’m really worried, you sounded really scared on the phone.” He said with a frown.  
They walked up the stairs and sat on her couch.  
“I didn’t mean to worry you, but I am scared and I didn’t know who else to call. I’m freaking out.” She said looking down.  
“Tell me what happened.”  
“I felt something.” Caroline started. Klaus looked at her confused and she continued. “I took a shower this morning, like usual, and I felt something…” Her lip trembled. “On my breast.”   
Klaus’ face dropped.  
“But I thought… I mean… With the surgery…” He couldn’t form a coherent sentence.  
“The mastectomy reduces a ninety percent the risk of having cancer, but there’s still a possibility.” She explained and after a few seconds she started crying. “I’m so scared, Klaus.”  
Klaus wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, letting her cry on his chest. He was scared too.  
After a moment he pulled back and lifted her face.  
“Get dressed, I’m taking you to the hospital.”  
.  
Klaus sat next to Caroline, holding her hand, while they waited for Dr. Fell to call her in for the second time.  
Meredith Fell was the oncologist that Caroline chose when she moved to San Francisco to be her doctor. Caroline took her clinical history to Meredith and she agreed to take care of her annual check ups. That’s why when Caroline rushed into the hospital that morning, Meredith made some time in her agenda and took Caroline to her office. She asked Caroline to get an MRI done and meet her again later.  
Getting the MRI done was exhausting for both of them, Caroline was scared and Klaus could feel it, which made him worry about her. And the worst part wasn’t over yet. Meredith still needed to see the images and talk to Caroline about the diagnosis.  
The waiting made things worse. Klaus tried to distract Caroline by talking about something else, but he could tell her mind was somewhere else so eventually then sat together in silence.  
Caroline sighed.  
“What are you thinking about?” Klaus asked.  
“I’m making lists in my head. Lists of things I have to do… I really don’t wanna move back to Mystic Falls…”  
Klaus frowned.  
“Why would you move back?”  
“Well, if I’m sick then I should go home.”  
“This IS your home.” Klaus insisted. Caroline tilted her head.  
“But... I’ll need a lot of help.”  
“All your friends live here, and didn’t you say your mom is always busy working? You’ll get more help here.” Caroline tried to reply to that but nothing came out. Klaus turned on his chair so he was facing her. “You and I agreed to be friends and as your friend I’ll drive you to your appointments, I’ll pick you up afterwards, I’ll even hold your hair back if you ever need to throw up... That happens right?” He asked with a frown.  
“Yeah, chemo is a bitch. You won’t have to hold my hair for long, it will fall out.” She replied sadly.  
“Then I’ll shave my head so you’re not the only bold person in the room!”   
Caroline stared at him in shock, surprised to hear the lengths he would go for her.  
In that moment, Doctor Fell opened the door.  
“Caroline? Come on in please.”  
Klaus sighed, the moment was clearly gone.  
“Do you want me to go in with you?”  
“Sorry, only direct relatives.” Meredith said. “Or husbands…” She added teasingly.  
Caroline took a deep breath. She gave Klaus’ hand a gentle squeeze and smiled softly at him.  
“I’ll be fine.” She said.  
“I’ll be here waiting.” He assured her.  
Caroline followed the doctor inside and sat on the chair in front of the desk. She could hear her heart beating in her ears, she felt a lump in her throat, her stomach was in knots and her hands couldn’t stop shaking.  
Meredith sat behind the desk and smiled softly.  
“You don’t have cancer.” She said simply and gave Caroline a few seconds to process it.  
“I don’t… what?”  
“You don’t have cancer.” Meredith repeated. “You have something else, something easier to treat. Your implants are encapsulated.” Caroline blinked confused. “Let me explain from the beginning. When something strange gets inside our bodies, our immune system fights against it, but when the strange thing can’t be eliminated, the system makes a little box around it to keep it from damaging us. Your implants are that “strange thing” and your body built a film around it, like a second skin. This is very common, but sometimes that second skin grows more than it should and it has to be stopped.”  
“How do we do that?”  
“First, with antibiotics.” Dr. Fell took a pad and started writing the prescription. “I’ll see you in two months, and if we don’t see any positive results we’ll move to the next step, a therapy with ultrasound.”  
“And if that doesn’t work?”  
“We replace the implants.”  
“Wouldn’t this just happen again?”  
“There are ways to prevent it, like using other position to put the new implants, or use implants that aren’t smooth like the ones you have now. There are new and better implants that are wrinkly, the feel sandy, but under the skin they feel good.” Meredith handed her the prescription and Caroline took it while sighing with relief.  
“So… I’m okay. I’m okay, right?” she felt tears staring to pool in her eyes.  
Meredith smiled and nodded, pushing a box of tissues on the desk towards Caroline.   
When Caroline opened the door she found Klaus’ chair empty. She looked around and found him pacing nervously back and forth. When he spotted her walking out the office he rushed to her and she could tell he was scared.  
“So?” He asked. Caroline smiled and pulled him for a hug. He quickly hugged her back, not as tight as he wanted. “Sweetheart, you’re scaring me…” when she stepped back she couldn’t hold back the tears anymore and cried. Klaus turned really pale and opened his eyes widely. “It’s alright, it’s gonna be alright. I’ll take care of you. This doesn’t change anything, I’ll shave my head.”  
She shook her head and let out a laugh.  
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to scare you!” She giggled and took a breath. “It’s not cancer. I’ll be okay.” She said.  
Klaus stood there gapping like a fish out of the water. After a moment he found his voice again.  
“Does this mean I can keep my hair?” Caroline giggled again. “We should celebrate!”  
.  
There wasn’t much of a celebration, just pizza and non alcoholic beer. But it was enough.  
They sat down on Caroline’s couch to eat and talked for a while. At some point Caroline yawned tiredly and Klaus chuckled.  
“Tired already? It’s only 7pm.” He commented.  
“I had a loooooong day, feeling so many emotions in one day is exhausting.” She said while leaning on the armrest. “Stupid boobs are a pain in the ass.”  
“Can I ask you a question?” He said.  
“I believe you just did…” Caroline replied. Klaus gave her a look that made her giggle and she nodded her head.  
“Why don’t you… um… just… you know… remove them?” He asked and Caroline frowned. “I’m just wondering, if they’re giving you so much trouble…”  
“When my doctor in Mystic Falls suggested the mastectomy I started thinking how losing my breasts would affect me. I was 20 at the time and my whole life I felt like my friendship with Elena was a competition. She was everyone’s first choice. Katherine too, but she always liked older men.” They both chuckled, classic Katherine. “Aaaaanyway I always felt bad about myself, I was insecure and I always tried too hard. Getting my breasts taken away made me think I would be less of a woman. I chose getting the implants so it wouldn’t be so bad.”  
“You’re not any less of a woman, and you still wouldn’t be if you had them removed. You’re beautiful, Caroline. Surely you must know that.”  
“Please! I know you looked at my boobs when we met.”  
“No I wasn’t! You wore a dress with these weird flowers on the cleavage…” Caroline gave him a look. “.. yeah, okay.” He hung his head low.  
Caroline laughed and took his hand.  
“You have no idea how much you helped me today. Thank you.” She said sweetly. Klaus grinned like an idiot.  
“No problem. But if you don’t mind me asking, why did you call me and not anyone else?”  
Caroline pursed her lips.  
“This morning I was terrified. My first thought was to call my mom, but she’s miles away. Then I realized I would probably worry her and she wouldn’t be able to do anything from there. So then I started thinking and I realized that the last time I felt safe was with you.” She explained, her voice getting softer and softer with each word.  
Klaus smiled weakly.  
“You said you didn’t feel safe with me anymore.”  
“Yeah, and then you said you would be my friend and I knew you would support me.”  
.  
Eventually Caroline fell asleep on the couch. Klaus covered her with a blanket and watched her for a while. Then he took her phone, got a phone number out of her contacts and started walking to his apartment.  
On his way there, he dialed the phone number and waited.  
“Hello?” A female voiced said after picking up.  
“Mrs. Forbes? My name is Klaus, I’m friends with Caroline. I need to ask you something.”


	16. Chapter 16

“Who are you trying to impress, Salvatore?” Klaus asked from his chair.

Stefan -who looked like a sexy mechanic in a white wifebeater that could be on the cover of Playgirl or a romantic novel- was laying on the floor with a screwdriver, attaching the new steampunk looking seats to the floor.

“What? No one.” Stefan replied innocently. “I'm just getting the shop ready for opening...” He added. Klaus arched an eyebrow unimpressed. “Okay... Rebekah said she would stop by today to bring me lunch.” Stefan said defeated.

Klaus barked a laugh.

“You love sick dog... That's my little sister you're talking about.”

“Yeah. Speaking off...” Stefan got up from the floor. “I need to tell you something and I really hope you'll be happy for me.”

Klaus frowned seeing how serious his friend was all the sudden.

“Alright. What is it?”

Stefan took a deep breath and looked around like he did every time he was uncomfortable. It didn't happen much around Klaus. Usually Stefan was a straight up sucker.

“I'm asking her to marry me tonight.” 

They stared at each other for a moment. Klaus was in shock and Stefan... well he just wanted his friend to react -in a positive way, preferably-.

“You're marrying Rebekah?” Klaus mumbled.

“She hasn't said yes because I haven't asked yet. I have a plan. Romantic dinner with candles, chocolate cake for dessert, her favorite. We'll drink champagne, we'll dance... I'll go down on one knee...” He sighed. “The rest is up to her.”

Klaus took a moment to ponder about it. Then he got up and walked up to Stefan slowly, his chin high and a serious expression on his face.

“Do me a favor Salvatore.” He said and Stefan swallowed hard. “Don't wear a wifebeater when you ask her.” Klaus finished.

Stefan looked at him confused, but before he could ask, Klaus smiled and patted his shoulder.

“Welcome to the family, brother.”

Stefan smiled.

“Does that mean I have your blessing?”

“You never needed it.” Klaus said and his friend shrugged.

“But I wanted anyway. I was more nervous of asking you than asking when I asked Mikael.”

Klaus made a face.

“You asked my father first?”

Stefan gaped.

“Well, yeah! He's her father too! His blessing is the one I needed.”

“Aren't you a great friend?” Klaus asked sarcastically, feigning offense. “Will you ask my father to be your best man too?” Stefan rolled his eyes.

“You know I have to ask Damon to be my best man. You remember Damon? My brother?” Stefan teased. “Besides, I know Rebekah would want Mikael's blessing.”

“What happened with “bros before hoes”?”

“Did you just call your sister a hoe?” Stefan asked arching an eyebrow. Klaus made a face and looked at his watch.

“Well, look at the time! I have to go.” Klaus suddenly said, dodging the question. He took his wallet and keys and walked to the door.

“Go where?” Stefan asked.

“To the airport.” Klaus replied simply before walking out.

.

Elizabeth Forbes sighed as she waited for her suitcase. She already spent over five hours on a plane, what were fifteen more minutes? Anything for her little girl. 

Luckily her suitcase was one of the first ones to appear on the conveyor belt. If only her luck could last just a little bit longer… 

So when she walked out to the baggage claim area and saw who was picking her up, she wasn’t disappointed. Klaus stood there among the more people waiting for other passengers. He looked awkward and maybe a little bit nervous, but other than that, Liz could tell why Caroline liked him. He was handsome, but in a completely opposite way of Tyler Lockwood.

Blonde, blue eyes. Can I hear you say “beautiful grandchildren”?! YEAH!

“You must be Klaus.” She said as she walked up to him. He smiled, dimples showing.

“And you must be Caroline’s mom, Elizabeth.”

British accent? We have a winner! 

Here's the thing, she told herself she wouldn’t let him win her so easily. This was a man who dated her ONLY daughter, and Liz was well aware of their relationship status. However, when someone cares so much about your child so much to put her needs before his own, he clearly deserves some brownie points, right?

“You can call me Liz.” She said smiling back. 

“Alright, Liz. Please allow me.” He said while taking her suitcase and carrying it for her. “I hope you had a pleasant flight.”

“It was alright. I could hardly enjoy anything while worrying about Caroline.”

“I’m sorry I worried you. That wasn’t my intentions, I just wanted to cheer her up.” He said while walking her to the car. 

“It’s fine. I always worry, even when there’s no reason to. It’s a parents’ thing, you know? But thank you for calling me.” Liz said. As they reached the car, Klaus opened the trunk and placed the suitcase inside.

“Thank YOU for coming so quickly.” He replied.

“I had no choice, you brought the plane ticket.” She joked. “Thank you for that too.”

Klaus smiled and opened the passenger door for her. They both got in the car and Klaus drove Liz to Caroline’s shop. On their way there Klaus turned to her, his thumbs drumming on the wheel.

“Curiosity is getting the best of me and I gotta ask… what was Caroline like as a child?”

Liz chuckled.

“High maintenance.” She replied simply, making Klaus’ eye open widely at those direct words. “But she’s worth it.” Liz added later in a soft tone. She went through her purse until she fished her wallet out. She then opened it and pulled an old photo out. As they stopped at a red light, Liz handed the photo to Klaus. He took it and once he looked at it he didn’t know what hit him.

In the photo, happy two years old Caroline smiled widely and held a doll tight against her. Her hair was up in a messy pony tail with locks of her short blonde hair sticking up on the sides.

He didn’t even like kids that much but now he was smitten.

In a non-creepy way, of course.

“Adorable.” He said while passing the photo back. “It’s amazing how that little kid grew up to be a beautiful woman.” He commented. Liz sighed nostalgically while taking the photo back.

“I was afraid her father and I would screw her up. After the divorce she turned into those dramatic teens that I thought only existed in TV.” She remembered sadly. “And when she was diagnosed I was afraid she would never recover but she surprised us all.” Liz concluded proudly. “Having a child with Cancer is worse than having cancer yourself. I would know, I’m a breast cancer survivor myself.”

Klaus turned at her, surprised to hear this new piece of information.

“You are?”

Liz patted the pink ribbon on the flap of her jacket.

“It runs in the family.” Liz said. “I knew what she was up against when she was diagnosed. That’s why she got the surgery, she was a high risk patient.”

Klaus nodded his head.

“Caroline said you’re a tattoo artist.” Liz said, moving to a lighter subject.

“I am. We’re reopening the tattoo shop next week. You and Caroline should stop by sometime.” He suggested. Liz smirked.

“Oh, we’ll be there.”

.

The bouquet just wouldn't look right, no matter how much she worked on it. And Caroline Forbes is a perfectionist. She would make the bouquet look perfect, even if it was the last thing she did. Mister Jenkins and his wife were celebrating their 50 th anniversary and he requested Caroline to make something beautiful. And something beautiful she would make, in the name of love!!

If only the stupid ribbon would stay straight. It kept looking crocked!!

She sighed frustrated and started again. Right then, the door opened and she heard the little bell ringing.

“I'm in the back, I'll be there with you in a second!” She said to who she assumed was a costumer.

“Take your time sweetie!” A voice yelled back. A very, very familiar voice.

And that nickname....

Caroline frowned. She dropped the ribbon and rushed to the front of the flower shop.

And there she stood. Liz Forbes, with a suitcase by her side.

“Mommy?” Caroline called shakily before running around the counter and towards her mother's arms.

Liz hugged her back just as tight, if not tighter, and stroked the back of her head.

“Hey baby.” she whispered to her daughter.

“What are you doing here?” Caroline asked. “I'm not saying I'm not happy to see you, but this was so unexpected!” she added while stepping back to look at her face.

“A little bird told me you could use some mother-daughter time.” Liz replied. Caroline frowned and tilted her head.

“Who?”

.

Stefan left early to get ready for his special date with Rebekah, leaving Klaus alone to put everything back on the shelves, like the design books and new piercings. It took time but now the tattoo shop looked like it was supposed to, like a real tattoo shop.

Klaus was really proud of all the hard work done by him and Stefan. Once again, life assured him that they made a great team and he wouldn't want anyone else for his little sister. Klaus knew Stefan would make a good husband, and an awesome brother in law.

This made him ponder on his own life. Did he want to be a husband someday too? Have kids, perhaps? When he picked up Liz at the airport he realized Caroline got most of her looks from her mother, and when Liz showed him that picture of Caroline as a child he could swear he felt something tugging in his chest. Is that what their kids would look like? Would she age elegantly, making him feel like a lucky man every morning when waking up next to her?

He hoped so.

He knew he shouldn't let himself daydream like that, not when he wasn't Caroline's boyfriend. They were friends, just that.

He wanted so much more. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, love her.

But he made his own bed. He had to move on.

Klaus sighed and kept preparing the shelves, making it look good for the costumers. The front door opened and he turned to see Caroline running towards him.

She collided against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. Klaus was astonished, but he slowly wrapped his arms around her small frame. He felt her squeeze him against her and he couldn't help but take a deep breath against her hair.

“I really needed my mom.” Caroline whispered after a moment. She started to pull back and Klaus unwrapped his arms reluctantly, stopping when he felt her place a kiss on his cheek. He froze then, his eyes open widely. Eventually she stepped back and said “Thank you.” Klaus gaped. She had this intense look in her eyes that made Klaus feel like his brain was melting.

Klaus watched her as she ran back out the shop, her hair waving freely as she did.

She was so beautiful.

Screw “moving on”! He would get her back.

.

The big opening day finally arrived! The busy weekend getting ready was followed by an even busier Monday with lots of costumers.

Friends and family stopped by to wish the owners good luck and of course, to congratulate Stefan for his engagement with Rebekah.

Caroline was no exception. She went to the tattoo shop along with her mother to bring them flowers and congratulate them.

She couldn't help but feel a little nervous after the little stunt she pulled the Friday before. She just couldn't stop herself from running towards Klaus when her mother told her all about Klaus' phone call and the entire hour he spent on the phone telling her about his day with her. He was impressing her by being supportive and giving her everything she needed. It made her wonder if she made a wrong decision when she refused to give him a second chance. At the time it felt right, but now...

He was perfect.

It was sunny and warm that day, allowing Caroline to wear a dress again. And now she couldn't stop smoothing it down with her hand. If her mother noticed this, then she didn't say it.

By the time they walked in, Klaus was finishing with a costumer and Stefan and Rebekah hanged out around the counter, whispering sweet things at each other.

“Hi!” Caroline greeted. Rebekah rushed to give her friend a hug and Caroline introduced her mom to her friends. She handed the flowers to Stefan, who placed them on the counter while the girls talked about the wedding. It was not a surprise to hear that Rebekah already had a thousand ideas for the event.

Klaus finished with his last costumer, allowing him to join the group.

“Liz.” He greeted with a nod. “How do you like San Francisco?” He asked.

“I can't complain. Any place is good when I get to spend time with my little girl.” She replied smiling to Caroline.

Caroline chuckled and turned to Klaus.

“Thank you once again for making her come.”

Klaus smirked feeling proud of himself.

“No problem, love.”

Caroline blushed a little and started looking around.

“The shop looks great, guys.”

They started showing Caroline and her mom the new things they got for the shop, the changes they made and the security measures they took in case of a new fire. As they walked around it, Liz saw something on the counter and leaned to take get better look.

“What's this?” She asked while picking up one of the flayers Klaus printed before the fire. “You're handing out flayers about breast cancer?” She added surprised.

“Yeah, it was Klaus' idea.” Stefan replied and then patted the tips box. “We're also donating our tips.”

“That's thoughtful.” Liz commented. “You know, Caroline told me about the breast cancer survivors tattoos. I want one.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at her in silence. This was a fifty years old woman, sheriff of a small town, asking for a tattoo.

No one was more surprised than Caroline.

“What?” she mumbled.

“I just think it's close to home.” Liz replied and then repeated “I want one.”

There was an awkward silence before Stefan decided to do something.

“Why don't I show you our designs and you pick one? If now, we can work on a new one.” He said while leading Liz to his station.

Caroline blinked a few times feeling like her feet were rooted to the floor.

“My mom is getting a tattoo...” She mumbled.

“I don't see the problem.” Klaus commented while stepping to her side. “You almost got one yourself.”

Caroline turned her head and nodded.

“Yeah. I still want it.”

Klaus tilted his head.

“Then why don't you?” He asked curiously. Caroline blushed and shrugged.

“Because it goes on my chest...” She looked down and crossed her arms on her chest, something that looked like she was shielding herself to Klaus. She wasn't willing to take her top off to get the tattoo done, not even in front of him. He was disappointed -not because he wanted to see her half naked, but because this meant she was moving backwards after working so much on her insecurities-, but he didn't push on the subject. It's her body, she makes the calls.

“You know, your mom showed me this adorable picture the other day...” He started with a teasing tone. Caroline turned to look at him again.

“What picture?”

“One she carries in her purse...”

Caroline opened her eyes widely and her face started turning red.

“Oh no...” She whispered and Klaus continued.

“It has this little girl holding her doll.”

Caroline groaned and ran her hands down her face.

“So not fair! I'm telling Esther to show me some of your baby pictures!”

Klaus laughed. Fair was fair.

After a moment, Caroline looked down awkwardly, something Klaus found endearing.

“My mom asks a lot of questions about you. I think she likes you.” She said softly.

“I don't blame her, have you seen me?” He said teasingly which made Caroline roll her eyes. “What does she ask? And what do you tell her?”

Caroline shrugged.

“How we met, where you took me for our dates, what other nice things you did for me.”

“Other things?” Klaus asked confused.

“You know, besides calling her to ask her to come. Like when you took me to the hospital and how you took care of me because I was scared. All the things you promised to do for me if I was diagnosed with cancer... Or how you respected my wish to stay friends.” She explained. “I don't keep things from my mom.”

Klaus nodded his head. They stood there in silence again, but this time Klaus spoke first. He stood in front of her and spoke softly but with a serious look on his face.

“I'm glad we stayed friends and everything I did is because I'm your friend and I care about you. But make no mistake Caroline, I'll find a way to be the man you deserve and I'll win you back. However long it takes.”

He leaned and placed a kiss on her cheek. His lips lingered there, giving Caroline a tingly sensation all over her skin. When he stepped back, Caroline was in shock. They stared at each other for a moment until Liz walked towards them.

“I picked a design. What do you think?” She asked Caroline. Her daughter turned and looked at the paper in her mom's hand. It was a pink ribbon with flowers on the sides.

“It looks great mom.” She said sweetly. Liz went back to Stefan's station and Caroline turned to Klaus, her hand shakily tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Excuse me.” She said before walking towards the door.

Klaus frowned and decided to follow her. Once outside the shop, he called out for her.

“Caroline, wait!”

Caroline closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning around.

“We're friends Klaus, you need to move on.” She said. Klaus shook his head.

"I never had any intention of moving on. The truth is, I've tried to stop thinking about you...and I can't. I know you feel the same way. What are you afraid of?"

"You...I'm afraid of you!" She snapped. Klaus' face dropped and she knew she hurt him, which was the last thing she wanted.

"Wouldn't it be more accurate to say you're afraid of yourself?” He took a step forwards. “Are you afraid that if you admit you want this as much as I do your pride will be wounded? That perhaps you made the wrong decision?” He took another step. “Did you ever stop and think why you're so scared?”

Caroline shook her head.

“I'm afraid you'll hurt me again.”

Klaus took another step.

“I made a mistake. I hurt you thinking I was protecting you from a bigger pain. I won't make the same mistake again. I know it, you know it.” He took another step and stood right in front of her, but Caroline just wouldn't look at him. “Haven't you considered that perhaps you're scared because you an I are so great together that the simple idea of this not working out hurts?” He leaned closer. “You and I know what we have is so wonderful, so passionate and we're so perfect for each other that it terrifies you.” He whispered.

Caroline finally looked up at him and he saw her eyes flick from his eyes to his lips. He leaned closer and she met him half way there, crashing her lips against his.

She threw her arms around his neck while he wrapped his around her waist. They kissed each other hard and passionately, pressing themselves against the other, feeling like they were never close enough.

Caroline was the first one to break the kiss. She bit her lower lip and Klaus looked down at it hungrily.

“I need time to think.” She whispered and Klaus nodded his head.

There wasn't much thinking to do, she knew he was right. She was terrified of how strong her feelings for him were. But admiting it didn't make her feel any less scared.


	17. Chapter 17

The sky was cloudy and the air was cold. It fit Caroline's mood perfectly.  
She sat in silence in front of her window with her knees pressed against her chest and her arms hugging her legs.   
“What are you afraid of?"  
"You...I'm afraid of you!"  
“Wouldn't it be more accurate to say you're afraid of yourself?”  
“Haven't you considered that perhaps you're scared because you an I are so great together that the simple idea of this not working out hurts? You and I know what we have is so wonderful, so passionate and we're so perfect for each other that it terrifies you.”   
Yes, she was terrified. She was scared to give their relationship a second chance just to lose him again. Because life is fucked up like that.  
Perhaps their relationship was meant to be. Perhaps it would end eventually. She didn't know. But wasn't he worth the risk? He was right, they were amazing together. With him by her side she could be herself, feel beautiful and worthy. She could show her body and not be ashamed. She could lean on his shoulder whenever she needed it.  
A steamy cup appeared in her visual field and when she looked up she found her mother offering her a cup of cocoa.  
“Thanks.” She said while taking the hot cup carefully. “Are you done packing?”  
“Yes.” Liz replied while sitting down next to her, holding her own cup.  
“Good, Matt is letting me borrow the Van to drive you to the airport tonight.”  
Liz nodded and they sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the hot and sweet drink.   
“Penny for your thoughts?” Liz asked after a few minutes. Caroline sighed and looked down.  
“I think I made a terrible mistake.” She replied.  
“Tell me about it.” Her mom requested.  
“I pushed Klaus away. I gave my whole self to him, he was the first person I could open up to in a long time and then he broke up with me. He was scared and he felt guilty for the fire. But then he reconsidered and asked to start over. I was so hurt I said no. I was disappointed because I had this mental picture of him being perfect and the break up changed everything.”  
“People make mistakes Caroline. That doesn't mean they're bad people.” Liz said softly while petting her daughter's hair. Caroline sighed sadly and sipped her cocoa.  
“I wish I knew that then.”  
“I don't.” Liz said with a shrugged and Caroline turned to look at her with a frown. “Maybe you needed some time for yourself, time to grow and learn, to figure out what you want.”  
Caroline nodded her head.  
“Maybe.”  
Liz watched her in silence for a moment.  
“Is there anything you can do to fix this? Maybe if you ask him, he'll be willing to give you a second chance.”  
Caroline already had an answer for that.  
“The other day, when we went to the tattoo shop to say hello, he said these wonderful things about wanting to be the man I deserve and how amazing we are together.”  
Liz tilted her head.  
“I don't see the problem, then. He's waiting for you.”  
“I guess I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. He made a mistake but he made it up for it, and now it's like...” She struggled to put her feelings in words. “Like I see him in a new light. And I love him even more.” She confessed. It started the day he took her to the hospital. He took such good care of her, she couldn't help but feel that way about him.  
“If you wait too long you might lose your chance.” Liz said.  
“I know. And I know what I have to do. I need to talk to him, but I don't know how and I don't think I'm brave enough.”  
“Didn't you say he asked for a second chance after he broke up with you?” Liz asked and Caroline nodded her head. “If he can do it, you can do it too.” Caroline chewed her lower lip and tapped her cup with her fingertips nervously. “Just think of all the romantic movies you love so much. When the main character wants to get the love of their life back, what do they do?”  
Caroline pursed her lips while thinking.  
“They make a grand gesture.”  
Liz smiled.  
“There you go.”  
.  
She was ignoring him, he was sure. But there was nothing he could do. She asked for time to think and he would give it to her. He just wished the waiting wasn't so goddamn painful. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat. All he could think about was that kiss.  
It was hot, passionate, mind blowing. Having her in his arms after so long felt incredibly good, but it was like being a junky getting one more fix and now he felt the abstinence.  
He was fucked up.  
The only thing that made his days easier was the feeling of the tattoo machine in his hand. He had miss it badly. After all, tattoos were his first love. Not even the good news of Marcel being thrown in jail made him that much happier.  
So he focused on his work and gave Caroline all the time she needed.  
That night however, nothing worked. He tried drawing designs, painting, watching TV, but he kept looking at the clock wondering how Caroline handled her mom leaving. He knew Liz could only stay a few days due her work and he hoped her visit would bring more joy to Caroline than sadness, but he couldn't help but worry.  
His fingers ached to type a short text and send it to her but he wasn't sure it was the right thing. He didn't want her to feel pressured.   
To his surprised his phone started ringing and the screen changed as he held it in his hands. It was Caroline.  
He took a breath and cleared his throat before picking up.  
“Hello?”  
“Klaus, hi.”  
“Hey sweetheart:” He greeted sweetly. “Did your mom leave already?”  
“Yeah, I just came back from the airport.” She replied softly.  
“How are you holding up?” He asked with concern.  
“I'm okay, I guess I'm used to not having her with me all the time. I'm glad I got to see her thought, I'm really thankful to you for bringing her.”  
Klaus couldn't help but smile.  
“So you're calling to say thank you again?”  
There was a short silence.  
“No... I was wondering if you could come over, I need to talk to you. That is if you're free right now.”  
Klaus tried not to sound too excited at the invitation. He took another breath, tried to calm down his hyperactive heart beating like crazy in his chest, and then he replied.  
“Sure, can you give me twenty minutes?” He needed a shower. And shave. And pick clean clothes...  
“Of course. Take your time.”  
“Alright, see you then.” He dropped the phone and rushed to get ready.  
.  
Caroline placed her phone on the dresser and moved to look at herself in the mirror once again. Her make up was perfect and her hair looked amazing. Why did she feel such a wreck? She took a few deep breaths and then looked at her reflection with conviction.  
“You are beautiful, Caroline Forbes.” She told herself. “You are sexy, smart, funny and you can do this. You are beautiful.” She repeated. “No matter the scars or whatever you've done. You can do this. You can do this.”  
.  
When Klaus reached Caroline's door, he stopped in surprise. The door was slightly open and had a note taped on it.  
“Follow the lights.” the note said.  
He pushed the door open and found candles on every few steps of the stairway, along with lots of petals. He guessed the candles were the lights he had to follow so he made his way up to the apartment. There, the candles lead him past the living room to a small hall.  
“Caroline?” He called out but she didn't reply. He kept following the petals and candles until the stopped in front of a door. He pushed it open slowly and his breath hitched when he saw her.  
She was lying on her bed, her legs crossed, her torso popped up and resting on her elbow. There were candles on the dresser and bedside table and even more petals on the bed, all around Caroline.  
Klaus thought his jaw would hit the floor and his eyes would pop out like in the cartoons because what he had in front of him was a vision. She wore a red and black lingerie set and a red silky robe.  
“Hi.” Caroline greeted softly. Klaus tried to say hello, but he chocked a little. “Come.” She said lifting her free hand.  
Klaus' moved towards the bed without much thought, he felt he was literally being pulled towards her.  
Caroline got up and knelt on the mattress, getting closer to him as he stood at the end of the bed. She smiled and placed her hands on his chest.  
“What's all this?” Klaus managed to mumble.  
“This is me, making a grand gesture.” she replied, one of her hands moving up to play with one of his necklaces. “I love you, Klaus.” She said and Klaus' heart skipped a beat. “I love you and I miss you and I want you back. You were right the other day, we are wonderful together and I don't wanna lose that.” She tilted down her head so she was looking at him through her lashes, something he couldn't resist. “Would you forgive me and give me a second chance?”  
“Oh sweetheart...” Klaus whispered, his hand cupping her cheek. He watched as she nuzzled his palm and turned her face to kiss it. “There's nothing to forgive.” he said stepping even closer until he couldn't go any further due the mattress. “I love you too. So much.”  
Caroline smiled widely, brightening the room. Klaus couldn't help but smile back and lean to kiss her hungrily. He moved his hands under her robe and placed them on her back, practically squeezed her against his chest. He sucked in her lower lip and nibbled it playfully, getting a moan from her.  
After a moment she broke the kiss and groaned.  
“You're wearing too many clothes.”  
Klaus let out a laugh and started tugging his Henley. Once it was over his head he threw it away and kissed her again. His lips traveled down her jaw and neck. Caroline closed her eyes and tilted her head, purring happily at the feeling of his lips on her neck.  
He suddenly stopped and Caroline felt his lips curling into a smile.  
“I can't believe you did all this for me.” He whispered. “Candles, petals, and don't get me started on the lingerie.”  
Caroline giggled.  
“I wanted to make sure you would say yes.” She smiled innocently.  
“You evil genius!” Klaus accused before kissing her again, this time a lot softer. He pushed her robe down her shoulders and let it fall on the bed. He then felt her hands moving down his chest and then undoing his jeans...  
He laid her down on the bed, his hands running down her body. Caroline trembled at the soft touch and spread her legs for him. He crawled on top of her and started kiss his way down her chest. His hands slid underneath her back to unclasp her bra and then took it of, throwing it with the rest of the clothes on the floor.  
He took his time kissing and caressing both breasts. Even without her nipples there the skin was still quite sensitive and he just love tasting her, he loved having her skin so close to his face he could breath in her sweet scent.  
When he thought he had given her breasts enough attention he started moving lower. When he passed her navel, he felt Caroline whimper.  
“Klaus, baby, I need you…” She moaned. “I want you inside me.” She knew what he was about to do and apparently she didn’t have the patient for it.  
Klaus smirked.  
“I know love, I know. Trust me, there’s nothing I want more than bury myself deep inside you and ravish you…” Caroline moaned again at his words and the husky tone in his voice. “But first I’m gonna make cum until I’m sure I’ve ruined other men for you, so you never leave me again.” He promised.  
Caroline looked down at him and ran a hand through his hair.  
“I’m not going anywhere, do you hear me?”  
Klaus smiled softly and then started pulling down the red, see through thong she wore. He did it slow, his hands caressing her thighs.  
With the thong out of his way, he moved towards her opening with his lips grazing her inner left thigh.  
She was dripping wet for him and he couldn’t help but smirk. He licked his thumb and then placed it on her clit, circling it slowly. The sensation made Caroline moan louder.  
“Tell me Caroline, have you been lonely ever since we broke up?... has any other man touched you?”  
Caroline looked down to him with a frown.  
“Why would you ask that now?”  
“Because I wanna make you forget about any other lover you had.” He replied.  
“No, I couldn’t move on, I only want you.”  
Klaus smirked again and leaned down to her pussy.  
With two fingers separating her folds, he pressed his mouth against her wet center and let his tongue lick the pink, silky skin.  
More and more moans came out of Caroline as Klaus worked with his mouth. His firms hands cupped her ass and lifted her hips from the bed. Caroline couldn’t control herself and her hips started rocking against his face. She came undone soon after that, her body trembling on the bed.  
Klaus moved away for a minute or two to put on a condom, but Caroline felt his absence deeply. When he climbed up the bed again, she smiled softly. He rolled her to her side and pressed her back against his chest.  
“Tell me again you love me.” He whispered against her ear.  
“I love you.” She replied. “I love you so much Klaus, and I need you.”  
“I love you too, sweetheart.” He said before kissing the back of her neck.  
He lifted her leg and pushed inside her. Caroline let out a cry of pleasure when she felt him sinking inside her. But she wasn’t the only one. Klaus moaned too, close to hear ear, and she thought that was the hottest thing she ever heard.  
“Fuck Caroline, you feel so tight.” Klaus said huskily. One hand snaked around her ribcage and cupped her breast while the other traveled down her stomach to caress her clit.  
“Oh God! Yes! Yes!”  
“You like that, Caroline?”   
“Yes! Oh god, Klaus! Harder, please!”  
Klaus pushed her against the mattress, making her lay on her stomach. Her hands gripped the pillow in front of her while Klaus’ hands gripped her hips. He thrusted harder, like she requested. Their moans mixed together in the air until they both reached their climaxes.  
Klaus laid there for a moment, pressed against her back, until he had enough strength to pull out of her –which made her whimper- and roll on the bed. Caroline did the same so she could look at him. She placed a hand on his chest and leaned to kiss his lips.  
Then she looked at him intensely and bit her lower lip.  
“Please… don’t break my heart.” She said, repeated the same words she said months ago during their first date. Klaus stared at her for a moment and then lifted his hand to cup her cheek.  
“Never, my sunflower.” He repeated.  
And this time, he really meant it.


	18. Chapter 18

Caroline took a deep breath and tried to steady her shaky hands. This was a big step.

“Sweetheart? Is everything alright?” Klaus asked from behind the door.

“Yeah, I'll be there in a second.” She replied while trying her robe tighter around her waist.

When she finally stepped out of the bathroom she saw Klaus finishing with putting up the curtains around his station. He was making sure no one would see Caroline's naked torso while he tattooed her. It was just some extra precaution, since they agreed to do it after work hours so one would walk into the tattoo shop.

She paddled over to the stretcher and Klaus turned to smile at her.

“Ready to get flowers on your skin?” He asked. Caroline started chewing her lip and playing with the ribbon on her waist. Klaus frowned when he saw her hesitate. “Having second thoughts, love?” He asked while taking a step closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She shook her head.

“I'm just a little bit scared that it'll hurt.”

Klaus pressed his lips in a thin line and nodded.

“It will hurt a little, but I'm sure you can take it, you're stronger than you think. Besides we're doing this in parts. We can stop whenever you want.” He assured her while rubbing her back with his hand. She leaned against him and sighed. He always knew what to say to make her feel safe.

“Alright. Thank you.”

After a few seconds of deep breaths and encouraging thoughts, she managed to open her robe and take it off.

Of course, Klaus' jaw dropped slightly. It wasn't the first time he saw her topless, but every time he feel as thunderstruck as he did the first time. She was just too beautiful!

Caroline sat on the stretcher and waited while Klaus finished getting the equipment ready.

“Now sweetheart, open your arms without lifting them too much.”

She did what was told and felt Klaus pressing a soft paper against her right breast. Then she felt something cold and wet. She looked down and watched as he transferred the flower design from the paper to her skin. When he removed the paper, she saw the flowers on her skin.

“You can see what it looks like on the mirror.” Klaus said. Caroline got up and turned to the mirror on the only side of the station that wasn't covered by the curtains. Her breath hitched. “Do you like it?”

“It's perfect.” she said before turning back to stretcher and laying on her back.

“Now, take a deep breath and try to relax.” Klaus said while getting the tattoo machine and dipping the needle in the ink. She closed her eyes and took a breath. “Roll on your left side and rest your arm across your chest.”

Once Caroline was positioned so he could tattoo the flowers and leafs on her ribcage without stretching the skin too much, she heard a little buzzing coming from behind her -she knew it was the machine- and then something started tickling her side. It was a little aggressive at first and it hurt,  but she just bit her lower lip and took it like a champ. She felt Klaus wiping her skin every few seconds with a tissue and she wished he didn't need those latex gloves -she loved his hands, they were her guilty pleasure-.

By keeping herself busy by looking at all the designs on the wall, she didn't notice that time went away fast and before she knew, Klaus was done with the first part of her tattoo.

“Lay on your back, love, so I can do the front.”

Klaus warned her that front of her breast would hurt more. The skin was thinner and she had little scars there, which made the needle feel worse. So of course Caroline was a little worried but now she had a great advantage. While laying on her back she could watch Klaus working. Just like he did whenever he drew something, he looked incredibly sexy as he stayed focused on the lines. His face was relaxed, but there was something intense in his eyes that made Caroline tremble.

“You okay?” He asked softly. “Does it hurt too much?”

Caroline blushed, a little bit embarrassed that he caught her in a moment of weakness. She just wanted to run her fingers through his hair and down his neck...

“I'm alright.” She replied after a second. 

“Good. We're be done with this side now, we can continue with the other side tomorrow and then it will all be about the details and colours.”

Caroline giggled. He was so British.

“Colours.” She repeated.

He gave her a look.

“Oh please, you love my accent.” He teased.

“You're right, I do... I remember it left me breathless when I first met you.” She confessed sweetly. Klaus put the machine down and arched an eyebrow.

“Is that so?” He smirked, dimples showing. “Anything else I should know?”

Caroline pursed her lips and pretended to think.

“I thought you had the prettiest eyes I've ever seen and... oh! Your lips!”

“My lips?”

“Yeah, your lips! They looked so kissable!” She said, letting a little sigh at the end.

Klaus laughed at that and leaned to peck his girlfriend's lips.

Girlfriend.

That was nice.

“What about you? What did you think of me when we met?” She asked curiously.

“I...” Klaus hesitated while cleaning up some ink and blood from Caroline's skin. This was about to get embarrassing. “I honestly thought you were the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And I still do.” He confessed. When he looked up at her, she had a pink blush on her cheeks. 

“Really?” She asked softly.

“Really. You wore a flowery dress and high heels, you had legs for miles... I was speechless, which by the way, never happens.”

“I can tell..” She teased lowly.

“And Stefan caught me staring at you through the window the entire week until you opened the flower shop.”

Caroline chuckled lightly.

“I know.”

“You know?” Klaus asked while frowning.

“I could tell you would look at the window, so I made sure I always had a reason to walk by. Remember I asked for a hammer?” She asked and he nodded his head. “I didn't need it. I have one on my own, I just pretended I didn't.” She confessed.

Klaus opened his eyes widely, which made her giggle.

“You little minx!” He chuckled and leaned to kiss her. It was meant to be an innocent, loving kiss, but he felt Caroline's arm wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer. He didn't complain though, he loved it.

“But I'm your little minx.” She whispered against his lips.

She kept kissing him, her hands moving down his sides and slipping under his Henley.

“Caroline...” Klaus moaned softly. “Are you sure? Aren't you in pain?”

“A little bit, yeah, but you can take my mind out of it.” She replied. Klaus smirked and stepped back to take his Henley off.

And that's how they ended up having sex at the tattoo shop.

Before the week ended, Caroline had a beautiful tattoo on her chest. The leafs were dark green and the flowers were in a pale shade of pink. It was done with so much detail that they looked alive.

It suit her. She felt alive too.

.

October, the 10 th isn't only Caroline's birthday, but it just happens to take place during the Breast Cancer Awareness month. Instead of planning a birthday party, she told everyone she wanted to spend it by doing something special. She would go to the hospital and give the Breast Cancer patients a pink rose. Klaus decided to join her, giving him a chance to take the tips they collected at the tattoo shop to the hospital to donate them.

There was nothing more wonderful to Caroline than the look on people's faces when she handed them the roses. She knew what they were going through, and having someone do something thoughtful for them, even if they were strangers, made their day a little bit better. It made Caroline feel special, knowing that she put a smile on all those faces.

To Klaus only one thing could beat that, and that was the way Caroline's face would light up every time someone thanked her.

When they stepped outside the hospital,  Klaus pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.

“I'm so proud of you sweetheart.” He whispered against her hair before kissing her forehead. She looked up and smiled at him, something that always left him breathless. She was just such a wonderful woman, a selfless person with a big heart. She made everyone around her happy, and Klaus knew she also made a better man out of him.

“Now, I know you didn't get any birthday cake, but I did buy you a chocolate cupcake.” He said, knowing she loved those. Caroline opened her eyes widely and her mouth opened to form a little “o”, which was the reaction Klaus was expecting. He drove her to his place where, according to him, the cupcake was. She just wasn't expecting to find all her friends waiting for her when Klaus opened the door.

“Surprise!” They all cheered.

“Oh my GOD!” Caroline bounced inside and started hugging everyone. “I can't believe it, you're throwing me a party!”

Klaus sighed with relief. He had been so nervous all week while planning Caroline's surprise party. It was a miracle that the surprise wasn't ruined.

Caroline skipped back towards him with a huge smile.

“You planned all this!” She accused. Klaus couldn't help but chuckle.

“Guilty.”

“You're the best boyfriend ever!” She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss.

“Oi!” They heard Henrik complain. “My poor, virgin eyes!”

Kol snorted.

“Virgin, my ass.”

.

“Do you, Stefan Paul Salvatore, take Rebekah Claire Mikaelson for your lawful wedded wife?” The priest asked.

“I do.” Stefan replied. 

The priest nodded and turned to the bride.

“Do you, Rebekah Claire Mikaelson, take Stefan Paul Salvatore for your lawful wedded husband?”

Rebekah smiled.

“I do.”

Klaus, who stood behind Damon, couldn't help but grin as he witnessed the happy look on his sister's face. When he tilted his head to a side, he caught a glimpse of the most beautiful made of honor ever. Caroline, who stood behind Rebekah, smiled back to her boyfriend and wiped away a tear of joy.

At the reception, the bride and groom danced slowly to a soft waltz. The night was reaching its end, and with it, the guests started to leave, but Rebekah and Stefan were in their little happy world, too invested in each other to notice. Caroline watched them from her seat at the table, her shoes discarded by her side. The bouquet of flowers that she caught when Rebekah threw it laid on the table by her plate. Everyone turned to look at Klaus when she caught him and the look on his face was priceless.

“Would you concede me this dance?” Caroline looked up to see a hand being offered to her and Klaus smiling down at her. She smiled back and took his hand.

Klaus lead her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms.

“Tonight was wonderful.” She whispered with her hand resting on his shoulder.

“Indeed.” Klaus agreed. They moved slowly with the music, feeling like they were floating away, Caroline safely tucked against his chest. “I saw you caught the bouquet...” Klaus whispered teasingly after a moment. Caroline grinned, but kept her face hidden from him.

“Mhmm...” She hummed.

“Perhaps it's a little soon for that...” Klaus said.

“Perhaps...” Caroline repeated. She agreed, it was too soon to get married, but surely she thought about it.

“We could start with something smaller.” Klaus then whispered.

“Like what?” She asked curiously. Klaus smiled and kissed her head.

“Move in with me.”

Caroline stepped back to look at him.

“What?” she blinked. “You want us to move in together?”

Klaus nodded.

“I want to wake up next to you every day. Don't you want the same?” He asked her hopefully.

Caroline smiled and nodded her head.

“More than anything.”

Klaus grinned.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes!” Caroline jumped into his arms and kissed him deeply. He kissed her back with his arms wrapping around her to lift her up a little in the air.

“I love you so much Klaus.” She whispered against his lips once he put her down.

“I love you even more, my sunflower.” He replied.

.

** The End **

 

 


End file.
